Buddhism

Last night, after a bit of prodding, I finally went to the Buddhism class held at Casa de Luz. I was hesitant because it is a 2 hour class, and I didn't want to commit to 2 hours. Also, I didn't know how many people would be there, what was going to happen...basically I have issues with starting new things all by myself. However, I'm quite glad I went. First we learned Chan meditation. There is a hand position that I don't remember the name of, but it's interesting. Then we sit in half or full lotus, or in my case, dreaming of the lotus because I'm inflexible. We use counting breath technique to focus our minds, which is nice. It's actually different than the way I had previously learned it. You don't count each breath, you count how long each breath is, so you have multiple numbers in each breath. While not easy, it is effective. By the end my hips were in much pain, along with my feet for having supported my legs. That is what makes meditation difficult for me, the painful positions. They say it gets better after a week or so of practicing, but it's hard to believe them at this point!

After meditation we had a short break, and then listened to the master speak. It was very difficult to understand his point sometimes, mostly due to his lack of english which limited his vocabulary. Basically, the point was that to control your emotions, you must control your mind and thoughts. You don't have to worry about releasing negative thoughts, simply replace them with something else. He used a great analogy. If you are holding a cup, and you want to put it down, zen buddhism doesn't teach you how to put it down. Instead they teach you to pick up a watch. In the act of picking up the watch you already put the cup down, without worrying about how to actually do that. Brilliant! I've spent so much time worrying about how to release things, but haven't paid attention to something I've sort of figured out already. Just replace what you don't want with something more desireable. I already do that with songs, because I have a terrible trouble with songs being stuck in my head until I explode. So I found a song that once started would continue to play, but was a better song, and one that tended to fade away because I knew it so well. It works like a charm! Also, I've been reading that if you are angry, choose love, because you can't hate someone and love them at the same time if you truly embrace love. It's the same thing! Though that one is a bit more difficult than switching songs in my head... But if you control your thoughts, you control your mind, you control your life.

During the last part we read a Koan, about wild ducks. Well, not really about wild ducks, more about awareness, and living in the present, I think! Koans are notorious for being difficult to understand, but when you do it's a huge aha! moment. I still don't know what the right answer is, but I'm pretty sure now that the point was being aware. Lol, good thing they gave us a whole book of Koans by the master, so I can be this confused anytime I want!

The other aspect I really liked is that he stressed that you do not have to believe in Buddha to become a Buddha. Buddha merely showed us an example of how to attain enlightenment. Sounds like another religious figure I know...hmm..maybe Jesus! or Muhammed! Or...(insert any religious figure here)! I tried to explain that concept to a friend last night, and she wasn't really buying it. That's a realization that can take a lot of time to see, because it takes so long to unlearn everything we've been taught. I think she'll get it in time though.

Wow, I haven't had this much to say in a while. It's a good thing I realized the other day I hadn't stopped to take much of a breath in a few weeks due to school. Now I can do research all day and be relaxed, and continue my focus and relaxation until the semester ends in a month. But for now, time for a shower and breakfast! Thanks for listening, and tune in next time for "rants with jax" goodbye. click.