Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Vol 5 Issue 3
Vol 5 Issue 3
Vol 5 Issue 3
newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 3
July-September 2009 To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind —
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Dhammapada, 183
I have been down for fourteen years and have done ten of them in the most dan-
gerous prison in Indiana. I do not mention this as some sick, self-imposed badge
of honor. Rather, it adds validity to my words. I know how difficult it can be to
walk peacefully in one of the scariest places on earth. It is easy to forget lessons
we have been taught. Mr. Halbirt’s article showed me that I had done just this.
Jeffery Allen Zenthofer took me under his wing and started teaching me Budo. In
fact, he was the reason I became a Buddhist. “Martial arts,” he would say, “is all
about destroying the ego.” At the time this was one of the most dangerous men
at the Indiana State Prison. Yet, he was also one of the nicest, most down-to-earth
human beings you could ever meet. He lived everything he preached. Budo was
his way of life, and he helped me make it mine.
I was young when I first began my Budo training, maybe 20 or 21. The world
could teach me nothing, I could whoop anybody, and with the sixty years the
judge gave me, I had plenty of time to prove it.
continued on p. 3
Dear Students,
This is your newsletter! It links all BCC students together. Whether you are in New England or the South or the
West, the BCCN is your means of communicating with other students. Your articles, poems. artwork, and letters are
gifts you share with your Dharma sisters and brothers. If you have an experience or insight to share or a question to
ask, please share it with everyone! You don't need to be an eloquent writer or even a good speller. We are happy to
edit your submissions for you.
If you would like to write but are unsure what to write about, here are some topic ideas: what challenges have you
found in practicing meditation and how have you overcome those? what challenges has your practice helped you to
face? what creative ways have you discovered of making practice a part of your daily life? are there resources you
have discovered--publications, organizations--that support your practice? Remember, prose, poetry, and artwork are all
valid ways of expressing your experiences and insight! So get creative! We look forward to hearing from you.
S
is within my power, in spite of the
ome people seem to think that for- Let it be known to any of the victim's
obstacles."
giveness somehow lets the "bad family who may still harbor resent-
guy" off the hook. It doesn't. Forgive- Furthermore, does the act of remem- ment, anger, and outrageous hatred to-
ness is simply the healing of your own bering ever resemble an illness? Yes, ward me due to my evil acts of the
mind and heart. Nor does forgiving if it causes pain. For many of us, past, that I wish to offer my sincerest
someone imply approval of their beha- memories of our past behavior seem apology. Over the years, I have had
vior or wrongdoing. Nor does it as- to live in cages, like wild animals. If remorse, grieved, and beat myself up
sume that they will not do harm again we enter the cages, the beast attacks mentally over my desperate acts of
in the future. Human beings can be us. This is the ego of guilt. March 1, 1971. While I can under-
worthy of forgiveness even if their ac- stand your outrage, your pain, and
I have often asked myself why do we
tions are not. Forgiveness is best ac- the impact my behavior has had on
give memory this power to wound?
complished by recognizing that each your family, I wish to make amends to
of us must "meet our maker." The all people I have harmed, and I hold
guilty one will still have to face his you in kind regard.
karma, in spite of his prison commit-
ment. Additionally, I wish you to know that I
harbor no ill will toward any of you,
Moreover, forgiveness will set you free and wish only peace, good will and
from the illusion that you somehow closure for you of this tragedy that
punished the wrong doer(s), in your was costly and damaging to you. As I
mind, by staying angry or carrying have said, I understand your anger,
hatred. Hatred hurts the hater. Long- your outrage, your fear, your resent-
held anger and/or resentment holds ment and hatred, for I, too, have been
no one accountable. It just harms the there. While I have purged resent-
person holding it. It has been often ment, anger, fear, and violence from
said: "A man that studieth revenge my soul, I can only wish the same for
keeps his own wounds green." you. I have a great deal of empathy
and compassion for all victims in gen-
Furthermore, our progress along the
eral, and those family members of the
path of human growth is measurable
We seem to want the unproductive deceased victims of my responsibility
by the exercise we encounter of our
pain of shameful remembrance, as in particular.
forgiving spirit. Each time we harbor
though we had sentenced ourselves to
a resentment toward another, we While I found it very hard to forgive
feel badly, as if our pain could alter
block our own growth. myself, I found it necessary for my
the past or pay for it. Our karma will
do that for us in spite of our prior sen- own peace of mind and for positive
Preoccupation with troublesome situ-
tence. growth and maturity as a human be-
ations or persons prevents our re-
ing. To the young man who wrote to
sponding to the thrill and possibilities
After years of placing misery upon my- the Board of Prison Terms opposing
of the moment. Stepping out of the
self, I found it time to forgive myself. I my release and not wishing to give
flow of events to stay stuck on an old
know what's past is past, and the only his name because of fear of me:
hurt guarantees us a stifled existence.
time I really have is the present. I had please, I wish you nothing but good
Forgiveness of self and others frees us,
often felt as though I was carrying a will, no matter what you may say
frees our spirit to soar ahead. And we
complicated weight of guilt and about me. I do not wish to have that
do so with a glad heart.
shame, but the act of releasing myself power of fear over you. I do not de-
The act of forgiveness lightens was simple--an act of self-acceptance. serve to have that power over any vic-
whatever burden we may be carrying. Let us greet the present in the best tim, and they do not deserve the
Forgiveness heals the soul and ener- way we know, and let go of regrets. "feeling" I have caused. I, too, have
gizes the spirit. It makes possible our had to deal with a great deal of fear,
I have tamed the beast within and I
continued on p. 6
Upon my throne,
I sit.
To meditate,
Visualize,
Contemplate.
Breathing in ...
Breathing out ...
Still.
Quiet.
For the moment ...
Peacefully abiding.
Upon my throne
I sit.
Amidst this perception of
Chaos ...
Negativity.
Buddha-nature emanating
from the Buddha
Within me
Upon my throne
I sit.
Right here,
right now ...
This moment.
fold along the dotted lines to make a convenient, business-card
Please feel free to tear out this sheet along the solid lines and
Mudras
size. May these teachings inspire and benefit your practice!
Is there some point, some place to rest, yet I must find the way.
To bring an end to all my quest; surely, it must begin within.
Something that does not fail.
Something that lasts beyond all things that pass.
When shadows thicken and the lights go dim, and many a thought stilled.
Some worldly hope that gives retreat from prison and pain;
From the winds and storms that beat upon my world?
Something sure and profound; if it isn’t here to be found.
There is a sense of wholeness at the core of me
That stands secure against all change of mind and heart?
That must abound in all I do;
Some private dream where reality dwells.
Meditate and find the stillness from chaos.
The purest secrets of a kind life, mindful to be.
Kinhin that marks with reverence my ev’ry step;
I know all must fade, and die,
That has its path when all else fails;
All must pass away; impermanence they say.
That wearies out all evil things;
That warms the depth of frozen fears,
Making friend of foe,
Making love of hate,
Which last beyond the living and the dead,
Beyond the goals of peace, our inner wars and love, body, and mind.
This man seeks through his remaining years, the Buddhist way,
To be complete and of one piece, to seek within and without,
Broken harmonies repaired and restored,
Estrangements must be reconciled.
Wounds must be healed, crooked paths made straight;
Turbulence of conflict subdued,
By tranquility of forgiveness and empathy, compassion endured.
Hatred upon which life was fed a violent past;
With purity of mind, great contrition is felt; meditating NOW,
To pay off the karmic debt of evil violent past.
And so it is …
M any BCC students find that hatha yoga complements their Buddhist practice. There are
many benefits to practicing yoga. The emphasis on careful alignment of the body, of
coordinating breath and movement, enhances mindfulness and awareness of the body. The
physical movement can be calming or energizing, depending on the type of yoga practiced.
And the flexibility yoga emphasizes allows the body to rest in sitting meditation more
comfortably, with less pain and greater ease.
Here are some thoughts on combining hatha yoga and Buddhist practice from some well
known Buddhist teachers. Please share your own experiences of practicing hatha yoga with
other BCC students and write BCCN with any questions about yoga practice. Please send your
letters to the address on page 2.
Yoga draws the attention into the body as a prerequisite to sitting still, so the body isn't lethargic or over-rest-
less. The tools of yoga asana are very skillful in creating that inner environment, that potential for inner investiga-
tion. The tools of Buddhist meditation bring a calm, abiding presence. So instead of just jumping up after yoga
class...you have the tools to explore more subtle regions of the mind and the nature of one's being. (Sarah Powers)
[It]t comes back to people's relationship to their body. Mindfulness practice really emphasizes the experience of the
energetic and sensational aspects—experiencing the body from the inside out. We teach the four foundations of
mindfulness, and two of them—mindfulness of feelings and mindfulness of the body—relate directly to the body.
We invite people to experience the body from the inside, as sensation, and for many people, that’s a huge
leap from their usual way of knowing themselves. (Anna Douglas)
There are four reasons [to combine yoga with Buddhist practice]. First, yoga postures tend to induce pleasant sen-
sations and this gives meditators something interesting and pleasant to focus on in the body. ... Second, the yoqa
postures tend to produce energy flow states in the body and this helps the meditator get insight into what we
in Buddhism call anicca or impermanence. Third, when mindfulness meditators work with body sensation, it is
desirable to be able to contact sensation anywhere in the body. The yoga postures induce sensation over the whole
body making it easier to contact sensation globally through the body and facilitating the detection of the more
subtle levels of sensation that often go unnoticed. Finally, on a purely physical level, the yoga increases health and
vitality and prepares the body for periods of formal sitting practice. (Shinzen Young)
Yoga means connecting with the ultimate. Buddhism can be also described as yoga, with a particular em-
phasis on selflessness. The meaning of "yoga" is link, and so is the meaning of "religion." In India, there are many
types of yoga, many ways of relating to the real, whatever you consider the "real" to be--God, the universal spirit,
the universal harmony. All these ideas are connected by the basic idea of yoga--the linking to the real. When we
talk about yoga, that would mean first of all re-linking to the ultimate meaning of life. To understand the ultimate
meaning of life, we have to understand the most important component parts of life and their interconnection. This
is the subject matter especially of the study of hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is a detailed study of the body, bodily pos-
tures, which make the attitude of body, of breath, and of mind because a true mind is the mind of concentration,
samadhi. Samadhi is the means we use to experience yoga, to experience the ultimate of life and death. Samadhi
means the correct application of mind--correct understanding of mind. The correct understanding of mind is
linked to the correct understanding of breath and the correct understanding of bodily posture. All these are
explained as part of hatha yoga. In Buddhism, the importance of bodily posture is also discussed, the breath being
directly linked to body and the mind. In Buddhism, the breath belongs to matter. It is a matter created and born
from mind, therefore it is intermediary and very useful for understanding the connection between corporal material-
ity and mentality, the mind and its objects. This is a crucial study of Buddhism. A crucial point for understanding
the doctrine of interdependent origination. In order to understand meditation, we should use wisdom. It is not just
a matter of concentrating the breath but it is the wider understanding the interrelatedness of breath and body. This
a crucial understanding for cultivating a correct way of living. Steady mind, steady sensations, steady feelings
all are related to the study. (Ven.Dhammadipa)