WoodMoor Village Zendo

Travel Blog Now Up

We have a quick travel blog up right here. It is a simple Wordpress.com blog with a set of posts for the days we've been traveling. In case you want to follow up briefly. I might post some updates here as well, but that blog is updated daily... well almost. In any case, leave a comment if you visit!

Dispatch from Somewhere in Middle America

Well, perhaps not middle America. Not yet anyway. And I always feel a twinge of unease when I use the word America to designate only the United States -- but "somewhere in Middle United States" doesn't have the same ring to it. Somewhere in the not so middle continental U.S. would be more accurate. Ok, those caveats out of the way let me get to some apologies (quick rhetorical note: caveats, then apologies, then maybe post content -- or perhaps apologies first?)

I have been pretty slow in my posting, and quite remiss in responding to comments. The end of the semester came none too soon, but it also came with so much to finish. I can quite honestly say that this has been my busiest year at Willamette. What with applying, waiting for, and then receiving tenure, and with all the committees, student work, scholarship obligations, and family matters, I had to reduce things like blogging so that I could keep my mindful wits about me. Blogging took the hit. The last two years have seen me take a far more conscious direction at spending more time at home present for the family. I also have gone more deeply into my photography practice, and taking photos and processing them has taken some of the time that would otherwise would go to blogging. But hey, I'm on sabbatical, and won't have to return to school until January 2009. Woohoo! Well, another caveat. I did choose to sit on a search committee later in the year.

Apologies to all who have stopped by and left comments, and to all those who have been left wondering where the heck I've gone. Blogging does have its rhythm and cycles, and while there is never a dearth of issues about which to write, there is always a need to manage time wisely. Blogging has to be part of that management in this day and age of so much "voicing." Thanks to all who have, as I tell my students, "kept the faith," with me and the blogging. I have left Kendall hanging, and for that I am also sorry! Kendall moved to Portland not too long ago and has been having a grand time so far. I promised I would go visit her with the family, but so far have failed. Unfortunately, since I am somewhere in not so middle continental U.S. I will not have a chance to make good that promise. Not yet anyway. Oh, and Kelly left a wonderful comment and I have not been gracious enough to respond yet. The same applies to all of you who have commented. The last two years have certainly had an impact on my blogging, on comments, etc. The blog has gone a bit dormant, or at least hard to rouse from its self-imposed semi-slumber -- but that will change. Watch this space.

So, where are we if not in Oregon? We are on a cross-country road trip across the U.S. Yikes! What bad timing no? Gas prices have been $4.12 in most places. We are going to spend 10-11 days on the road, going from Oregon, through Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and on and on, until we get to Maryland, D.C., Virginia. Day one took us from Salem to Boise, Idaho. It was a great drive. Boise is pretty small though. Day two: yesterday, took us from Boise to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Wow. Gorgeous. It is cold here. Early June and darn cold. Phoenix arrived in Jackson sick as a dog, with a fever, bad chills, and much throwing up. He seems better now. I had a chance to lay down with him and hold him for a long time, keeping him warm and trying to stave off the chills. Love him dearly I do.

We spent some time at Craters of the Moon in Idaho. We've seen lots of volcanic rock areas, etc., but the Craters of the Moon area was pretty impressive. Phoenix and I went up Inferno cone with the wind blowing at 40-50 mph. Scary. We plan to visit the Grand Teton national park, Yellowstone, Cody, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, etc. later stopping to visit family in Iowa, then Pennsylvania, and on to Maryland. We will be gone until late August or early September. I have a conference to attend in June, another one in July, a cruise trip to Bermuda with the whole family later in July, a possible trip to Disney down in Orlando, FL in late August, and various other trips planned (Colonial Williamsburg, Rocky Gap, Charlottesville, Shenandoah valley, Annapolis, the coast, etc.). I will probably drive back with my parents, and Michi and the kids will fly home.

Whew! All of which means that I will want to post and keep up with my travels, but probably not everyday. I have to find time to write two papers, two book proposals, and engage in some curriculum revision conversations. Most importantly, I want to spend time with our extended family. I'm an extended family kind of person and I value much the togetherness of it all. I also value friendships and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with friends. None of which means that I will be abandoning the blog for the Summer. I will need to write, and I look forward to reconnecting with all the regular readers also. I will post some pictures here and there, but all I have with me is a laptop with a not so great LCD screen. It is difficult to do any good post-processing on this screen, but I'll post pics whenever I can.

Ok, now it is off to the Grand Tetons (provocative name eh?) and some mindful walks on this beautiful country. All the best,

The Buddha at Huffington Post

Check it out, the Buddha makes an appearance in a Huffingtonpost.com commentary. The usual lack of texture, but hey, it is not supposed to be a philosophical tract. A quick read of the comments is perhaps most revealing about how people see Buddhism, and political action seen through a "buddhist lens."

I find funny the statements that begin with "if the Buddha were alive today..." I think the Buddha is alive and well nowadays. There are lots of folks out there who are doing Buddha work (and not necessarily Buddhists).

I also agree with Thich Nhat Hanh that the concept of Maitreya, the Buddha-to-be is really "us," the sangha -- more generically, those who work to awaken what the Buddha represents. Unfortunately, the image of the Buddha (or of Jesus Christ for that matter) that we tend to see, that of a lone individual, slogging through the vicissitudes of life, is only muddied through the eyes of a distinctly United States, and possibly Western, individualism that posits a lone individual as making it, saving the community. A kind of deus-ex-machina -- the American monomyth. Such a truncated image excludes the power of sangha, the power of community, the power that lies in the nurturing together of caring, compassion, of loving-kindness -- to transform our world.

I see the notion of the Buddha as our potentiality for great good, compassion, kindness, love, caring, healing suffering, transformation. It doesn't have to be a luminous being, nor some perfection in aim, aspiration, or outcome. It is not the lone individual that rises to save the community -- only to, at the end of the day ride into the sunset (and different from Christianity -- not to "judge"). If anything, the story of the Buddha for me is not about a single individual who tapped into the matrix and brought the good news to a few, and bid them disseminate it. Instead, it has always being about how transformation, love, compassion, kindness, etc. rests with us, how we can bring it all into a flow of being and becoming.

That buddha moment of awakening can happen at any time, and it is, surprise, surprise, impermanent as well. It does not have to be the moment in which we attain the Buddhist black belt and walk around with a halo. The more we are open to it, the more we let it come forth, the easier it is to let it suffuse our lives. We can nurture that state of being, we can water the seeds of such kindness and compassion, and we can let those very human acts transform us more and more. And yes, we can congregate and nourish a practice in which we nurture our capacity to be Buddhas, and to support each other in such a practice.*

Oh, and that capability is not the sole domain of "Buddhists" nor does it have to be spiritually tinged nor religiously governed. I've met folks for whom "living like Jesus Christ" means precisely what I've stated above -- filtered through a narrative of redemption and suffering very similar to the Buddhist narrative. Then again, I've met many for whom that, and religion in general, is an invitation to creating more suffering. The key lies in how we transform those narratives.

Notes

*I meet so many folks for whom the concept of practice is so limited to the act of meditation, of sitting with eyes closed and legs crossed!

On the Strength of All Conviction...

Oh, Just in case I forgot to post this poem, here it is. It speaks of mindfulness to me:

On the Strength of all Conviction and the Stamina of Love
by Jennifer Michael Hecht

Sometimes I think
We could have gone on
All of us. Trying. Forever.

But they didn't fill
the desert with pyramids.
They just built some. Some.

They're not still out there,
building them now. Everyone,
everywhere, gets up, and goes home.

Yet we must not
Diabolize time. Right?
We must not curse the passage of time.

-- Jennifer Michael Hecht

Hillary in the Woodshed

Wow. Watch this clip in its entirety. At times it is a bit uncomfortable to watch because such public denunciation is not common -- but if nobody has sat her down and said these things already, and that she needs to offer a real apology... Olbermann surely took the time to school her. Sen. Clinton needs to, for the sake of the nation, herself, her supporters, common decency, and common humanity, and karma, to not only apologize but work to eradicate the suffering such comments create. I'm not talking about individual suffering. I'm talking about the real harm that articulation can (and will) generate.

Funny thing that kind of forgiveness where nothing really is forgiven eh?

In any case, Sen. Clinton and her strategists have certainly gone way beyond inappropriate with those comments. In my estimation they have been race-baiting, gender-baiting and pushing their discourse in ways that have been insidious and tragic. We certainly need a better politics in this country, and the last eight years have but prepared the ground for this kind of outcome/situation.

The MSM today is reporting that the Clinton campaign is in negotiation with the Obama campaign about the possibility of the VP job. Hmmmm... does not sound like her comments will help much. I'm sure more fireworks will follow. I read somewhere that Sen. Clinton's comments amounted to a move to "Tonya Harding" Sen. Obama.

Fear, fear, fear. We don't seem to learn that we reap what we sow. I wish politicians were required to take a sort of Hippocratic oath: first do no harm.

California and Same Sex Marriage

Long time readers of this blog know that I am particularly passionate about the issues of same-sex marriage, and about the teaching of evolution. So, my apologies if you have not heard from me yet about the recent decision in California. Frankly, I am very happy that the California Supreme Court found same sex marriage to not be unconstitutional. My misgivings are for the timeliness of this decision. I'm concerned it throws chum in the water for the "cultural warriors" that so like to propound nothing but fear, and who will be particularly excited to do so during an election year.

Nevertheless, I found the following quote in The Daily Dish (Andrew Sullivan's blog), and figured I'd repost it here. It is, for me at least, a very touching statement:

My partner of 16 years and I have a 6 year old son and he asked us recently if "Daddy and Papa" were married. I took a deep breath, lied, and said "yes". I said yes because, for him, our relationship is the foundation of his existence. And, even at 6, he understands that marriage is the way two people come together to make a family. How could I give him any other answer? Hopefully some day our country will make an honest man of me.

The person cited is right, even that young (heck, even younger) kids already learn to internalize the "cultural algorithms" of heteronormativity -- and lest we forget, masculinism. Along with such attitudes come dispositions and patterns of thought that foster fear, loathing, self-hatred. My inclination is so often to protect my son, to spin harsh realities into a cocoon of possible motives, alternative ways of thinking, etc., so that he does not grow up to be afraid. It doesn't always work, but I keep trying. I want to keep him, as much as possible, from developing into a walking wounded, a victim already.

McCain & Jesus...

The semester has ended, my grading is finished, and now I have to get ready for sabbatical. That's what has been taking much of my time (Oh, and a conference I just got back from...), but, for your reading pleasure here's a quintessential move -- the comparison to Jesus Christ: (from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Georgia Republican Party chairwoman Sue Everhart said Saturday that the party's presumed presidential nominee has a lot in common with Jesus Christ. "John McCain is kind of like Jesus Christ on the cross," Everhart said as she began the second day of the state GOP convention. "He never denounced God, either."

Everhart was praising McCain for never denouncing the United States while he was being tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. "I'm not trying to compare John McCain to Jesus Christ, I'm looking at the pain that was there," she said.

A couple of years ago, I think, I came across two editorial cartoons that depicted how Jesus "would vote" if he were around today. When I find them again I will post them here. I don't think Jesus would vote for the GOP -- but maybe the Democrats would also leave him less than enthused. Whether McCain has a lot in common with Jesus...

Are Conservatives Happier?

Before I read the following article I would have shouted Hell No! But check out the following article "Conservatives Happier than Liberals." Also please read T's (Republic of T) post on this article. He does a good job of parsing out arguments about such supposed happiness by Conservatives. Here's a teaser:

"Regardless of marital status, income or church attendance, right-wing individuals reported greater life satisfaction and well-being than left-wingers, the new study found. Conservatives also scored highest on measures of rationalization, which gauge a person’s tendency to justify, or explain away, inequalities.

The rationalization measure included statements such as: "It is not really that big a problem if some people have more of a chance in life than others," and "This country would be better off if we worried less about how equal people are."

Maybe they are happier at that! Go figure. Funny thing of course is that in order for that claim about conservatives being happier than liberals (if we take the labels at face value) to work, the definition of happiness cannot even be "the reduction of suffering" because apparently conservatives are happier regardless of suffering caused by injustice and inequity.

What if we defined happiness as "a place, or state, where enjoyment is obtained?" Ouch! Makes things worse.

Surely we could, in Buddhist fashion, define happiness as contentment with what one has -- and conservatives would have fared better no? Uh, no. That seems to bring the same share of difficulties as noted in the article.

Ok then, what about using the phrase "Happiness is a how, not a what." This is the "happiness as process" argument, oftentimes heard as: You don't find happiness, you make, and choose, happiness. Well heck, this is precisely what the article is claiming. Conservatives make, and choose, happiness alright, but seemingly at the cost of the happiness of others.

Let us try two other definitions:

"Happiness is contagious...when you reflect happiness, then all others around you catch the happy bug and are happy, too." - Jennifer Leese

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - M. Ghandi

Hmmm, conservatives do not fare well by those two definitions either. The first one seems to falsify the article (in the scientific sense) -- conservatives are happier but others are unhappy. The second one, by Ghandi is troublesome because it is too abstract and disconnected from outcomes, from normativity about the content of one's actions. Evil people could be quite happy carrying out their evil deeds, as long as what they think, what they say, and what they do is seen, by them as harmonious and bringing them joy.

In any case, while much difficulty also lies in taking labels of conservative and liberal as concrete... in your experience, has this relationship between conservatism and happiness proven to be the case?

Hillary Humor?

So, is the following from Saturday Night Live such a satirical example of a Reductio ad Absurdum that it skewers mainstream media narratives about Sen. Hillary Clinton and her supporters... or is it to be read straightforwardly as the "logical" conclusion of a campaign marked by the issues highlighted, and all too willing to push in such a direction?

Be forewarned, the funny parts still come at a cost:

My apologies that this embed has advertising at the end.