I've listened to many beliefs, from atheists to theists, from Buddhists to Christan's. People often get in arguments about semantics, and how people are categorized. This can be from without, such as a Christian saying what an atheist or agnostic or even a Zen Buddhist person is, or it can come from within the group about it's own members.

The same type of thing happens in debates about gender and sexuality, which I have also talked about here. My belief is that everyone is diverse and different. Trying to figure out who fits into what category is really not important. No 2 Christians have the same beliefs, and the same goes for any other group.

I'm not trying to be the same as other Buddhists, atheists, or agnostics. I couldn't be, even if I did want to. When people try to change reality into a binary system, with everyone needing to fit at one extreme or the other, you end up causing a lot of suffering. Unfortunately, that black & white world is what many people try to see.

Tags: buddhism, philosophy, religion
Mood: disappointed

Flower Festival - Celebrating the Birth of the Buddha.

Tags: buddhism, camcorder, japanese, music, religion, video
Mood: peaceful

right concentration

Meditation, zazen, or any act that puts you in a state of zen focus. The other aspects of that path help you have right concentration, and in turn, right concentration helps you understand the other aspects of the path. This is not something you do all the time, but it is a tool for demystifying experience and knowledge. It is not a very hard or complicated skill, but it does take discipline and patience. It can seem boring, but it works. It is the beginning and the end of the path, but it is the journey that happens in between that matters.

After all this time, and all these entries, I can look back and see how I've changed and grown. Whenever I protected my ego, or rushed to judge, I fell short of my potential. But as things continue to change, there will never be a point of completion. Rather, the need to improve will intensify. As I make progress, I will tackle things that I once thought I was unable to accomplish. My focus will shift from time to time, and hopefully I will become wiser and better as I meet my goals. Righteousness is not easy to achieve, but you can, if you concentrate.

I believe it will be an incredible journey. Love & Peace!

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: optimistic

right mindfulness, right memory, right awareness, right attention

This is when you focus on the mind, body, and emotions in and of themselves, in order to have a clear observation of the present. Ideally, you are simply experiencing the world as it is, and not judging it. It is a very open and quiet feeling. By contrast, usually our attention is constantly being shared with things that happened in the past, or that we are planning for the future. Distractions from what's happening now, or judgments about what we experience, separate us from the truth of reality. Right awareness is always there, but seldom experienced.

Buddhism is in no small part a stripping away of false experiences. The truth of reality is always there for you to see, but because we lack right mindfulness, we don't experience it as such, and instead we form our own version of the truth. Even though we all have a unique perspective, it's further complicated because we are distracted all the time. I'm not saying that everyone should see things the same, because we cannot, but that the beauty of our unique experiences is lost by our own lack of mindfulness of what's going on.

People see me as quiet and thoughtful, so they assume that I am thinking deep thoughts. This is almost never the case. Often, my mind is as quiet and calm as my outward appearance. I am simply trying to observe and experience directly. However, I still have many occasions where I go into my own world, and start over thinking things, or losing focus on the present. My goal has been to get closer to living in the present, and stop worrying about the past and future that do no exist. When I am my most mindful, I am living at peace.

The truth is now!

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: awake

right effort, right endeavor

This is the effort to bring about the wholesome and eliminate the unwholesome in thoughts, words, and deeds. The unwholesome is useless and harmful, while the wholesome is useful and harmless. As always, most things fall somewhere in between. It is through practice that we can gain wisdom by direct experience. The main forms of practice are mental discipline and mediation, in other words, concentration. This is a higher form of right intention. It is an effort to bring yourself to a point where you naturally do good.

Once you realize that you are not your thoughts, and that you can control what thoughts you do have, then you can start to think of the good consistently. When you feel that you are your thoughts, and you have no control over them, because they are yourself, there's not much you can do to improve. Once you learn to see the difference between you and what comes to mind, you can start to ignore thoughts that are detrimental, which most of them may be. We have a lot of junk in our brain that distracts from doing what we should.

I've always felt that I have an inherent drive to be good, so right effort doesn't seem to be a big obstacle. However, I still don't do as well as I should, largely because my mental discipline is still cluttered. My mental drive is not always toward what is good, but rather what will bring me pleasure now. Even though I know that this type of pleasure is often not good or lasting, I still engage in it. I hope that as I gain experience, I will one day be able to have better mental control, and live according to higher principles.

Once I get where I should be, it won't be the end, but the start of a new journey of maintaining that effort.

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: contemplative

right livelihood

There is one activity we do more than almost any other, besides sleeping, and that's work. It follows from right action that you should not work for a business that causes harm, whether it's directly or indirectly caused by yourself. Examples include dealing in weapons, poisons, meats, human exploitation, slavery, intoxicants, etc. Besides these major concerns, we've experienced other aspects of business that we find deplorable, but maybe not as severe. Companies are infamous for putting profits over human concerns. Money should not override your moral obligations.

I have been lucky in recent years to have jobs which I find to be of high moral standing. Making solar cells was a job I felt good about that helped the environment, and making digital X-ray panels for mammography can save lives. My employer is one of the largest companies in the world, so I know they have some business that are not as good as health care, but overall I have a good impression of them. My current job is the kind that I'd love to make a career, until I decide to retire. I'm happy to do it, and I'd be willing to be paid much less than my generous salary.

Rather than having a goal to find your own peace without having to work, give back to the people who also have given to you by having the right livelihood, and then you'll lead a truly good life.

Tags: buddhism, job, philosophy, work
Mood: working

right action, right conduct

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Everything you do, you are doing to yourself, since you are connected to everything.

This may be the most important aspect, because it is your actions that matter. Right action should be the main goal. It includes the morality of your actions, such as how much harm they cause. Ideally, you would want to do actions that do no harm, and otherwise try to minimize harm. The three basic concepts are to not do the following: murder, steal, engage in sexual misconduct. These would be more serious wrongs, but there's opportunities in every situation to make better decisions with your actions.

As always, it's understandable that people are fallible, so we all do the wrong thing sometimes. I am not immune to bad behavior, but I try to maintain a high level of moral goodness. For instance, it was a major contributor to me becoming vegetarian, although I have more reasons than morality. It also includes smaller, but still important tasks, like buying products instead of downloading them, not speeding in your car, recycling, using less energy, and many other things that might gain you praise or ridicule.

Regardless of what everyone else is doing, what you are told, and even what is legal, you have to do what's right. I felt that transitioning was the right and honest thing to do, even though I knew it was going to be a challenge like I've never faced before. I still believe the results will be good. Most actions are not as complicated, though. Most actions are simple, brief, and ordinary. Each little action has a reaction, and it continues on throughout the universe, so everything really does matter.

Each situation is unique, so learn in depth and do what you feel is best, not just what is easy.

Doing the right thing leads to real peace and contentment.

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: content

right speech

Our words, and other forms of expression, are how we communicate with the world. If they are deceitful, divisive, abusive, or meaningless, then that is how our interactions will be. Our words should be beneficial to others, and ourself. Also, knowing how and when to say things is a good practice. Some words are said just for the purpose of being more compassionate and forming a connection. Know when to be silent, and know when to speak out!

Words can do many good things with other people, but all involved should communicate with an open mind and try to understand where that other person is coming from. We can't truly understand what it's like to be another person, but if we don't try to put ourselves in their shoes, we will have a hard time understanding them. With all the inaccuracies and subjectivity inherent in language, it's amazing how much we can do!

I have struggled with speech my entire life. I believe I'm finding a voice that I'm more comfortable with, that's more true to how I feel, but it does take time. As they say, old habits die hard. If my intentions stay good, I should keep moving toward having better communication, which is of utmost importance to me. Socialization is mostly about such things, and while I have found some peace within myself, I still haven't found it with others. It's thanks to communication with others that I've even come this far.

I look forward to speaking truth, whenever the time is right, and whenever I speak.

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: indescribable

right intention, right thought, right resolve, right conception, right aspiration, the exertion of our own will to change

This aspect is closely related to right view. If you don't wish to be hypocritical, then once you know what is right, you should try not to do wrong. This is all a matter of degree, and while it's difficult to never do wrong, it can be good just to improve your intent gradually. It is not something you can master all at once. Good intentions to have would be the reduction of materialism, non-violence, minimizing your consumption, and spending more time on noble deeds. Without the will to bring about positive change, knowledge of what's right is wasted.

Being wasteful is one of the biggest consequences of having wrong intention. It includes wasting time, energy, money, and even lives. Although I have a good handle on what is good, I still have a problem with my motivations, which result in me falling short. Procrastination, putting it off until later, is a common way to do the wrong thing. I know what I should do, but it seems like some things I just can't change, yet. My discipline and motivation are lacking. It holds me back in every aspect of life.

Even so, I feel my core intentions are good, and I will be able to keep improving.

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: determined

right view, right perspective, right vision, right understanding

This aspect of the noble eightfold path is very important. It includes the ideas of Karma, in other words, the basic laws of cause and effect. It also includes the ideas of pervasive change, how everything is in motion, and how energy remains constant. Finally, it includes the understanding of suffering, how it is caused, that it can be conquered, and how to accomplish that, or understanding the four noble truths. At the same time, having a right view means being willing to change your view when you see something that's better.

There is a main cause for many of the poor views that most people carry, and it is the things we are taught in society, although some are also just a product of human growth. Those things range from ideas of the self identity all the way to God. We have so many constructed ideas that really have little to do with reality, and we are taught these things and exposed to those ideas constantly. The more you doubt things and stop assuming what you believe is true, the faster you can get to right view.

Our prejudices color everything we experience. As I'm gaining wisdom, I'm seeing how things I've taken for granted are false, and reality is far more complicated than I can grasp. Right view is a humbling experience. In a way, the very young may have an easier time seeing reality than the old. Once you form a bad habit over many years, it's hard to think about living without it. My demons still have some sway over me, but I'm hopeful that I'm improving in subtle ways, when I am ready.

The first step to gaining real wisdom is the realization that you don't know absolute truths. Then you can try to find the middle way.

Tags: buddhism, philosophy
Mood: calm