Buddhism and Homosexuality

What is the right view on homosexuality in Buddhism?

According to the Dalai Lama, he has remarked that if science provides evidence of a particular idea that does not agree with Buddhism, then Buddhism should change.

The Dalai Lama has also quoted scripture to say that homosexual activity is considered negative.

Dalai Lama, it is time for you to step up and confront this issue. The science obviously states that homosexuality is part of the development process in the mother’s womb. You have been slow to this issue.

I have not heard the 17th Karmapa’s stance either. However, he has stated that he views all sexual identity as a social construct. That’s fairly nuanced instead of returning to so-called “sacred” scripture, which denigrates the GLBT community.

Nevertheless, it is time for Tibetan Buddhists and all Buddhist communities to take a stand! Accept GLBT! Accept all human beings!

–okiebuddhist

Oklahoma is Resilient!

40 Minutes of Terror.

Worse than May 3rd [Tornado].

These headlines cover the main pages of today’s newspapers, and as an Okie living in the metropolitan Oklahoma City, I do not like newspaper headlines about my state and city.

Today, I sit in Starbucks Coffee and look out the windows. The sky is somber. Temperatures lower to sixty degrees. According to the radio, another storm heads toward Moore, Oklahoma, but the storm lifts and drifts in a different direction. Maybe the conscience of the storm realizes the earlier damage. Maybe a weather god said, “Enough!” Maybe weather patterns just follow chemistry and the mechanism of nature.

No matter what, Okies are resilient. We tire, but we can take the hits.

We moved here because of the Trail of Tears. My Irish-Indian ancestors arrived in the Cherokee nation because they were forced off their land. The federal government moved us to a place with no natural lakes. A place that no other white settler wanted at the time. Indian territory we became! And, the Indians were resilient; we were stereotyped as the “Five Civilized Tribes.” A sad label indeed, but we somehow take pride in a horrible stereotype.

Later, the land run opened the land, and the boomers hustled for the best they encountered. Movies and historical accounts couldn’t even describe the chaos and structure of the American frontier settling in this territory for a time to make this place our new home. Resilient determination exists in these Boomers, and it is no wonder many places don’t understand our libertarian, small-town government, and republican undercurrent here! We do have democrats, too, as resilient as the republicans!

Place Indians and boomers in the Oklahoma plains and see what happens. We are survivalists. We build. We farm. We watch how our farming culture has changed the natural environment of high plain grasses. The dust bowl smashes us, and many of us leave for other places, including pipe dreams of California wealth, as described in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. The tough ones remain in Oklahoma. We rebuild. We are resilient! We wash the dust storms out of our clothes and begin anew in the morning.

One of our own–so to speak–Timothy McVeigh defends his country in Desert Storm. He returns from the war. We, Okies, know nothing about this person. Suddenly, while living at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I watch the Oklahoma City bombing on television.  My ex-wife’s brother reports to ground zero in downtown Oklahoma City to help. He is a National Guard assigned to assist his fellow Okies in taking care of the city. Later, when I move to OKC, I hear stories of the bombing. I know people who experienced the atrocities of McVeigh’s ignorance. They still speak of these stories to remain resilient!

Yesterday, I leave for Northwest Oklahoma City without any warnings of a storm coming. Perhaps four miles north from my work, the rain begins to pour. It is dead silent five minutes earlier. Hail smashes the cars and trucks on this highway. Cars and motorcycles bunch together underneath bridges. I turn on the radio and hear nothing about the tornado yet, except for a discussion of a storm in South Oklahoma City, from which I came.

Tornado or wall cloud out of Chickasha is reported. More news of a tornado. At this time, the tornado is 1/8 of a mile wide. By the time I head north for safety and pick up my daughter early from school, the tornado grows to a mile wide. An F-4. Maybe an F-5. I sit in front of the television with my wife and watch the destruction live. It is actually sunny in our front yard. That tells you how large Oklahoma City is! Later, on Facebook, I read a post from a friend who loses her rented home and has no insurance. Neighborhoods are flattened. School children die. Maybe the newspaper title is correct.

40 minutes of terror.

However, the aftermath of a tornado lasts longer than 40 minutes.

Today is somber in Northwest Oklahoma City. South Oklahoma City in Moore, Oklahoma, I have no idea the mood. I do know people will be there helping. Other friends are making donation runs to help the victims. Today, I am staying north to think about what I can do to help. I am not that resilient!

Tomorrow, I will find out the news when my work, a community college, re-opens with students. I will teach resiliency in the classroom. If I must, I will break my rules and hug a student: mother, a father, a son, a daughter of any victim of this tragedy.

We are used to impermanence in Oklahoma. We rebuild. We don’t move away unless we have to. We are a religious community. We also drink alcohol. We also have atheists and buddhists. We now have the Thunder basketball team, the underdog in professional basketball. We lose games. We win games.

We will win this game in the long run before the next tornado strikes again to remind us of our humanity…to tell us that this precious human moment, no matter how much sorrow or joy exists, resides in our red dirt, resilient hearts and memories! We will tell our children about everything to pass along the folklore of our city.

–okiebuddhist

Tornado Strikes Oklahoma City Area

In times like these, it’s hard to say, “I’m glad to be alive,” when my community and at least one friend has lost their homes. Children drowned in a school basement while the school employees were simply trying to protect them. The number of deaths from the tornado is over 50 as I write this blog.

Life is impermanent!

I just happened to leave work early today. If I had stayed five minutes longer, my car would have been pelted with tennis ball size hail.

These days, it is easy to live in a fantasy world. Life is precious, but there is no denying that tragedy surrounds us. It is easy to fall into a state of depression when tragedy strikes our hearts.

Somewhere in the middle, the Buddha is speaking to us. In my left hand, I hold my wooden mala beads. I cannot seem to accomplish my more elaborate practices or other focused meditations.

So, my hand touches each bead as if I were caressing the head or face of a tornado victim. Each person impacted by this tragedy is symbolically on the mala. I chant for you and nobody else. Tonight, my chants belong to the suffering and oppressed in all cultures.

I love you. I believe in you despite your suffering. I pray for you no matter how difficult your life seems right now. You will make it through the storm of pain and sadness!

–okiebuddhist

Is Lineage Better than or Different from the Sangha?

Today, I wish to discuss the concept of sangha. Buddhism has developed its own path in many cultures. Theravada monks do not “work” for a living, but in Chan Buddhism, the idea of not working is a non-Chinese concept. Working in a garden, for example, is sacrosanct in Chan Buddhism and a possible entry place into nirvana. The sanghas, or community of followers, expressed themselves somewhat differently according to historical period and cultural context.

Today, the sangha is widespread. I mean, widespread!

I belong to the sangha of widespread cultural traditions. Though I have taken refuge in the Tibetan Buddhist lineage of Karma Kagyu, I also have never limited myself only to a lineage concept. This idea, unfortunately, is considered a liberal concept in some Buddhist communities. Lineage matters more in Eastern religious traditions. Trace your roots directly to the Buddha himself to speak your authority. Do otherwise and prepare to meet your doom as a heretic and outcast. However, one hundred years later, your lineage may be legitimate again because it withstood the test of time.

In the United States, this idea of sangha is extremely conservative compared to the Protestant roots of many ancestors, even though most of my Buddhist American friends are far liberal than I am!

Growing up in a protestant culture, I must ask myself, “How do I relate to the concept of sangha?” Is it merely the lineage in which I take refuge?

If I wanted to practice Zen, for example, I could practice freely with other Zen Buddhists, but to be “sacred,” I would need to take refuge into the lineage of Zen Buddhism. How many different Buddhisms are there? How many times would I need to take refuge to practice legitimately with them in order to receive teachings? Would Jesus today need to be baptized 20,ooo times for every sect calling itself Christianity?

According to Wikipedia, which actually has a decent discussion of Buddhist schools, we can list a few to show how many refuges I would have to take if I wanted to practice with all Buddhist traditions:

Theravada: Sangharaj Nikaya (Bangladesh), Shwegyin Nikaya (Burma), Siam Nikaya (Sri Lanka), Tapovana (Sri Lanka), Thammayut Nikaya (Thai Forest Tradtion).

Notice within the Theravada traditions how the sangha, which becomes the term lineage, breaks according to geographical regions. At times, interpretations change the lineage, too. Lineage concept begins to displace the sangha concept.

Mahayana: Chan (Chinese), Zen (Japanese), Pure Land (Asian), Tiantai (Lotus Sutra School), Nichiren, and Vajrayana. There are more, of course, especially when it comes to the lay communities beginning to control their own traditions, such as the Rissho Kosei-kai movement. We have a Rissho Kosei-kai Dharma Center in Oklahoma City, actually. No monastics exist in this tradition, as far as I know. (Not that monasticism is a bad thing!)

So, beyond cultural traditions and geographical regions, the Mahayana tradition begins to focus on specific philosophical schools as well as particular sutras. Rissho Kosei-kai, for example, focuses specifically on the Three-Fold Lotus Sutra. Some schools might reference this Sutra as fiction; I view it as allegory leading one to Buddhahood!

Whether or not it is true, I have seen the number of sects in Christianity at 36,000. The number of Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism stands around 330 million. The sects within Buddhism are perhaps just as diverse as Christianity and Hinduism. Yet, the question remains. What is the sangha when the lineage attempts to establish itself as the sangha? Is the lineage the sangha?

My opinion is simplistic.

1. All Buddhists in the world are part of the universal sangha.

2. I do not believe that any lineage has the ability to trace itself perfectly to the historical buddha, nor does it need to in order to lead one to Buddhahood.

That’s it! The Buddha did not teach lineage or school. These ideas developed later in culture. The Vajryayana schools argue that primordial Buddhas, such as Vajradhara, or a Mahasidda from India, such as Guru Rinpoche, who lived from the time of the Buddha until 1500 years later, spread the dharma to Tibet. The lineages in Tibet began with Guru Rinpoche or through Vajradhara, even though the Bon Tradition from Tibet is in the process of releasing texts pre-dating both these bodhisattvas. I cannot wait to evaluate these details!

The point is I have joined a lineage within Vajrayana Buddhism called the Karma Kagyu tradition. However, I take refuge in the universal sangha of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhists. We are all brothers, sisters, aunts, or uncles in the universal sangha. We have major differences between the two major sects: Theravada and Mahayana. However, we seek nirvana or enlightenment: freedom from samsara. (Vajrayana is sometimes called the third vehicle. Scholars still agree and disagree.)

It is fairly simple, but I see so much rage and war on the Internet between lineages. I have read histories of Tibetan Buddhist lineages warring against each other for petty reasons, in my opinion. My own lineage, the Karma Kagyu, have split over the complications of deciding who is the reincarnation of the 17th Karmapa. Two sides concluded different nominees. If you have followed my blog, you know my view, but I completely believe that following the other Karmapa can lead one to Buddhahood!

I say a prayer each night: “Today my life is fruitful. I have obtained a precious human existence and am born into the family of Buddha; now I am a child of Buddha. From now on, I will only do activities appropriate to the lineage, so that no stain will come to this pure, faultless noble family.” My own lineage has filled itself with stains before I even knew the history of my lineage. We are children, unfortunately, raging against our childish nature to seek our higher nature. We will get there one day!

I love this prayer. I wish I could keep the prayer! I am not yet a Buddha or bodhisattva and, therefore, stains continue to flow to the lineage. My goal, however, is to try and emulate buddhas and bodhisattvas before me who have accomplished goals I have yet to attain. In this respect, the sangha is the family or lineage of people who have attained enlightenment. They may be special compared to the universal sangha of followers of the buddha, who, like me, still have stains to clean.

To conclude, my guru, the 17th Karmapa, always speaks about reducing the struggle between various dharma schools within Tibetan Buddhism. Though I disagree with Chogyam Trungpa’s ethics, I do agree with his respect for other Buddhist traditions, including Zen. Also, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche asked his students in South America to read the Daoist religious text, Dao De Jing (or Tao). I understand the complication of “mixing” religious traditions, but as far as I am concerned, all religious traditions have already been mixed over long time periods. Was the Buddha even wanting to begin a religion or just differentiate his ideas from the Vedic traditions from his cultural heritage? King Asoka, who conquered India in the 260s BCE, converted to Buddhism and spread its dharma and monasteries across the culture. Like Asoka, would Christianity exist without Constantine’s acceptance of the faith?

For Buddhism to continue particularly in the United States, the historical lineages from other countries will still remain, but the universal sangha, the community of Buddhist followers, will continue to open the door to Buddhism to all Americans. I once complained that Buddhism in the U.S. (at least in Oklahoma City) looked something like a Unitarian Church. Now, I don’t complain that Buddhism in Oklahoma City looks like a Unitarian Church. That’s positive potential of various cultures and traditions merging to meet the needs of a multicultural community that, yes, exists even in Oklahoma.

I don’t have the same views, I assume, that perhaps my lineage holds dear. Purity is not necessarily an American trait; we are the melting pot, democratic, evolving process of multiple peoples and faiths still spreading across the land. New “lineages” of Christianity like Mormonism and Jehovah Witness are two positive attributes to the Christian society. And, over time, even American Buddhisms will spread here, too. For now, the lineages must consistently re-evaluate its messages to American audiences and move beyond preserving and promoting its own cultural values. Once the cultural values of all traditions are preserved for at least what is viewed as a stable time period (nothing is stable in Buddhism), then the U.S. citizens will begins to form new lineages and universal sanghas. However, pride will always keep a tight knot around preservation instead of evolution and non-attachment!

Noah Levine, keep working! Thich Naht Hanh, keep at it! Tara Mandala, keep practicing!  Finally, fellow Karma Kagyus in the United States, keep advancing in spiritual leadership. Maybe one day we can open a Karma Kagyu Hospital!

–okiebuddhist

2013 Graduation Ceremony for the Masses

It’s commencement tonight for the college graduating class of 2013. I arrived downtown early to watch a film, to sip coffee in a coffee shop, and to rest my mind.

We (faculty, staff, and students) will be packed in a convention center. We will hear presentations and advice. The crowd will clap. People will hug each other, and then the night will end with happiness. That’s how I remember the various graduation ceremonies over the years, yet the people–the students–change. The stadium changes. New people receive joy and happiness.

I suspect many faculty tire of graduation ceremonies, but that’s not completely true. We simply don’t like to pay to park, dress up, and wait for an hour or more before we can be seated. Once we are seated and see our student names in the brochure, we, too, find joy.

What if I were giving the graduation speech? Knowing the various speeches I have heard in the past, I know nobody will remember it. Therefore, I would stand on the stage and point to the crowd. It would go something like this.

“You!” I point to the crowd.

“All of you.” Still pointing.

“If you in the crowd were not here, there would not be too many students graduating this year. You are these students’ support network, their home plate, the cheerleaders, and the family members.”

“Without you, your children, sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles, and friends may never had made it to this point.”

“A student told me once he was ready to quit. He walked toward the college’s door for the last time before he stopped in his footsteps and thought about his wife, who cheered him on daily.”

“That’s right! His wife encouraged him to continue. She was like his boxing coach, to use a sports metaphor.”

“Thank you for being there for the graduating class of 2013. Thanks for keeping these students in the ring!”

That’s it! That’s all that is needed in my speech. I wish the graduating classes across the countries much success. There is so much in life relating to complaints and struggles. We need people to use logic, creativity, and life skills to make this earth a better place. We need a support network across the globe! Will you be part of the team?

–okiebuddhist

Another Song to My Guru Karmapa

Guru Karmapa,

I practice devotion to your lineage.

The refuge prayer springs forth

Like a burst of waterfall rain.

My heart opens to your rainbow body.

 

Guru Karmapa,

I wonder in my car in a lost city

And think about your visual stance

On the sky of an Indian Monastery.

We are far apart yet our heart yearns the same.

 

I cannot explain, Buddha Karmapa,

How I arrived in your lineage

Other than a strong whim and instinct

To follow a path to Dallas and take refuge.

 

Do we remain physically apart for the rest of our lives?

Do I understand the meaning of long time and patience?

Do I buy a one-way ticket to India and sit beneath you?

 

In your latest book, you promised the stars

Would be our connection to each other.

Sometimes I need more than a physical glance

Into your  nirmanakaya realm.

I need further bursts of rain within us

Carrying us forth together

To a pure land like Dewachen.

 

Kind Guru,

You are the omniscient embodiment of Vajradhara.

I am climbing toward your tree of knowledge

To stand firm, strong, and tough–

But give me time!

 

When I have doubt, be there for me.

When I lose patience, walk with me.

When I scramble in madness, tolerate me.

 

Your kind, humble, devoted future bodhisattva!

–okiebuddhist

Trungpa’s Crazy Wisdom

What makes a great teacher?

I asked my English Composition I students that question, and they brainstormed the following ideas: caring, nurturing, fair, creative, organized, and accessible. There were other qualities listed, but beyond English Composition I, I wonder if these qualities truly change the way one approaches the dharma in Buddhism.

Chogyam Trungpa, the Crazy Wisdom Teacher, seemed to care, demonstrated qualities of creativity, and obviously provided an opportunity of accessibility to his students. Yet, he seemed to move beyond the traditional view of a great teacher. He challenged the paradox of our existence, and that quality is not always safe for any teacher to pursue.

Trungpa

Imagine if I continually challenged my students to re-evaluate Christianity to the point they become Atheists, will I be fired from my job? Will I lose credibility toward my students even if I have scientific or historical evidence to provide? I certainly challenge my students in all courses I teach, but how far does one go in this challenge before one crosses the line?

Trungpa was not afraid to cross the line, and that difference makes him a better teacher than I. One example from the film, Crazy Wisdom, provides ample evidence of this view. He drank too much, and he had an open relationship with his wife. Ultimately, the person he placed in charge of his organization contracted HIV and infected others with the disease by carrying on the style of open relationships. (This fact is sadly never reported in the film, which makes the film somewhat subjective.) Trungpa obviously crossed the line, and his followers received in the long run negative karma and consequences because of it.

However, an interviewee in Crazy Wisdom discusses being in the room with Trungpa. A question is asked. What do we do about the aggression of war in the world? Trungpa answers quickly with the following statement: I am more interested in the aggression in this room. What a comeback answer! People in the Vietnam era definitely demonstrated the same kind of hatred for war as those fighting in the war. The aggression leads people to picket the war in an angry manner? How does one picket a war without aggression lying in one’s heart? Good point, Trungpa! My mind is open to your thoughts, fellow Karma Kagyu!

My conclusions of Trungpa are always mixed…because he crossed the ethical line. I cross the line of ethics, too, but not in the classroom! We are imperfect.

He lived his best in a non-dualistic state to treat his students with the same kind of care to detail and love he shared with the universe. When his feet touched the ground, the solidity of the earth trembled. When he died, his body was cremated. The sky flashed with a rainbow like so many other bodhisattvas before him.

He came to the world to free us from guilt. He left stains upon his student’s minds for them to fathom. He was never fully in the material world, yet his entire body, speech, and mind shook it. The rainbow in the sky after his cremation summarizes much. The rainbow represents the smile or wink Trungpa leaves his audience. This world is a ground to pass through naturally on the way to the next realm. Life continues after death. What is perceived as consequences or negative karma fade in the passage of history compared to what lies beneath the winds within ourselves. Only this message helps clarify the wondrous human bodhisattva we call the crazy wisdom teacher, Chogyam Trungpa.

May his activities flourish where they have not risen before.
May this movie bring others closer to the dharma.
May we all be challenged emotionally by his message.
And, may we reach a state of higher bliss and wisdom, even if that wisdom is crazy!

–okiebuddhist