Teaching, leading or guiding?

The Buddha is a powerful symbol in the Buddhist tradition. Any Buddhist tradition will have some embodiment of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The Buddha represents the teacher, the dharma the teachings, and the Sangha the community that revolves around these two. 

The Buddha represents the ideal form that one assumes in this lifetime. It is the form of oneself as a teacher, a leader, or a guide. Each of these roles can have subtle differences and as we associate with a teacher it is important that we discern our own role in relation to the teacher. 

A teacher has knowledge that you don't have. A teacher is someone you turn to for resources, insight or direction. A teacher can connect dots and build bridges where there is confusion or uncertainty. A teacher sees a bigger picture than you see, and as such can open doors or tear down walls. It is important that the teacher has some practical, real world experience. Some teachers might be overly academic or scholarly, but not be grounded in reality. Practical knowledge is almost always better than theoretical knowledge. 

A leader by necessity has a following, even if it is a following of one. A leader heads into the unknown, through the woods and over mountains to pave a new trail. Our world and our situation is constantly changing, so the importance of a leader cannot be overlooked. Leaders are able to connect the tribe, set out a vision, build something new, and give us a heading on our journey. Leaders have authority but also recognize and honor the voices of those below the leader. Be wary of a leader who is reckless, self-centered or doesn't lead by example. 

A guide is someone who has intimate experience with the path that you are traveling and has no other motive than for you to travel the path safely and with minimal hardship. They know the best places to sprint and the times to rest. They are patient and tolerant of the hardship one faces, but also recognize the urgency and initiative needed to traverse the path. The guide knows you are very results orientated, that you want to finish, but they know that once you reach the end you must go back and hopefully they can teach you to enjoy the journey along the way. Be wary of a guide who sells you on the finish, or really wants you to do this thing because they have done it. Find a guide for the journey you want to travel. 

You might not find all of these qualities in one individual. You might have teachers, leaders and guides along the journey. The important part is recognizing your needs and the challenges you are facing on your journey. 

Reading is not enough.

How do you know something?

When it comes to the practice of vipasyana, how we come to know something is important. Over the past two thousand years Buddhist traditions have developed a rather extensive system of reason and logic. One of the subjects that was developed by Dignaga and Dharmakirti was the system of pramana, or valid cognition. How do we go about correctly knowing something?

Broadly speaking there are two types of valid cognition, inferential and direct. Inferential valid cognition is made using reason, logic and analysis to come to know something. We can study, read various works on the subject at hand, and debate others until we come to a correct understanding.

Direct valid cognition is a direct experience that is free from concepts. Direct valid cognition is seeing something directly, having your own experience. You can study the great stupa at Boudhanath, its layout and history, the various materials and methods used for its construction; but that is a very different experience than actually being at the great stupa, seeing it firsthand, feeling the energy of the environment and the various sounds, smells and interactions taking place. Direct valid cognition is a first-hand experience that is free from conceptual imputations or bias.

In the practice of insight, we are relying on direct valid cognition. The time to use inferential valid cognition is before the meditation session. Inferential valid cognition enriches and prepares us, but it is not a replacement for the actual experience. We should study interdependence and emptiness, we should be familiar with the different presentations of mind and how it manifests, and we should be familiar with how to recognize the nature of mind. We should read, a lot. But reading is not enough. At the time of practicing vipasyana, we need to set aside our ideas and concepts and focus on our actual experience.

Vipasyana is the practice of have a direct valid cognition of the nature of the mind and the nature of reality. This is our chance to see things as they are, don't waste your time and energy on going back to ideas and concepts. Look directly. What do you see?

A mind divided.

Man is often divided unto himself. 

He seeks out leisure, but must act on his responsibilities.  He pursues his passion, but must be held accountable.  He follows his curiosity, but must produce results. 

There is tension between these two, leisure and responsibility.  Constant opposition and internal struggle.  Struggle to find your place in the world, the enduring battle between what you want to do versus what we have to do. 

The one requires space, silence, idleness, even solitude.

The other demands interaction, checklists, deadlines and diligence.

How do we dissolve the barrier between these two?  Can we cross the chasm over this great divide?  How do we reconcile this internal struggle? 

Lend your leisure to virtue.  Rely on virtue for your responsibilities. 

Virtuous is the pursuit of knowledge, patience and kindness.  The virtues of generosity and wisdom bear fruit in both leisure and responsibility.  Silence, mindfulness, and fortitude, these too are fertile ground for both leisure and responsibility. 

Virtue removes the struggle from our lives.  It allows us to find our balance, to find reconciliation.  Reconciliation is a gift we can give ourselves, and a gift we can carry into the world. 

Grab a shovel.

Answers don't allow us to go deeper.  Questions do.

As we process and contemplate the information available to us (and it's all available to us), we need to learn to ask better questions.

Ask a question.  Find an answer. 

Answers give you a resting point, a place to contemplate and a ground to dig deeper.

Questions are the shovel that opens up space for further exploration.  Don't sit on your laurels, grab a shovel. 

Confusion.

འཁྲུལ་པ་
Tibetan: trulpa
English: confusion, deception, misperception, distortion

Confusion is a false way of seeing the world.  It is misapprehending a situation, deceiving ourselves about what is really happening.  Confusion creates a lot of problems for us because it affects our actions and what we stand for.  If our view is distorted, our actions are likewise misaligned and we experience more anger, more frustration and more fear.   Confusion polarizes us and our world. 

Confusion is really difficult to deal with because the confused person thinks they have knowledge.  A distorted view of reality makes no difference if it is the reality you experience and all the stories you tell yourself confirm that reality.

Confusion has its own logic, its own arguments and its own justification.

So how do we uproot it?

The first step is to understand that we all have a lens through which we see the world.  I have my own lens, you have yours.   When we realize that there is some shared basis between those two worlds that we can talk about and discuss, then there is some possibility that I can undermine my own confusion.   
Knowing the relativity of our own lens opens us up to the truth.  It opens us up to empathy and genuine understanding.  With empathy and genuine understanding we can reduce the distortion of our own lens and see the world more clearly.

We cannot change the minds of others.  We can only show them another lens and start to ask questions.  

Freedom AND Opportunity.

Secure these two first.

Freedom.
Freedom for negative circumstances.
Freedom from negative mental states.
Freedom from ignorance.
Freedom from endless distraction.
Freedom from heavy burdens and debts.
Freedom from conflict.
Freedom.

Opportunity.
Resources.
Access.
Connections.
Knowledge.
Opportunity.

Freedom without resources and you are stuck.  Resources without freedom and they are wasted.  Cultivate both.  When making decisions, keep these two in mind.

When information is not enough.

We live in an age of information.  It is right at the tip of our fingers, but what do we do with it?

How do we apply it to our situation?  When do we know if it is working?

There is a certain comfort that comes with knowing where to go to get the right answer, but how do you apply that knowledge in a new context?  How does it apply to your context?  How do the facts actually benefit you? 

Information was once held by the powerful to establish hierarchy and maintain the status quo.  Now information is freely available and yet we often still feel powerless.  Why?

Knowledge and experience are two different things.  It is like reading and planning for a trip to a distant city versus actually going there.  You need to make the journey to make the knowledge real, to make it your own.  Having never stepped a foot in the direction of that which you read about, how can you proclaim to know the subtlety of its experience.

You must walk the path. 

What do teachers teach?

Does a good teacher teach you the method, the skills?
Is it all about the information? 
Once you have gathered all the knowledge and can do the practice by rote, are you learned?

The best teachers teach you the path, the journey.  They push you to your limits and then give you the resources and support needed to figure out how to break through them.  They inspire you to look deeper.

They encourage the evidence based doubt of the scientist and the reason based doubt of the debater.  They understand the value of a good question and teach you to be brave enough to ask it.

The truly great ones teach you how to carry the ball yourself.  They show you how to bring your practice and knowledge into a new environment and still be able to connect the dots.  They teach you how to stand up, shoulder the weight, and to do it with patience, kindness and generosity.

You should read Stop Stealing Dreams by Seth Godin, it redefines what school is for and lays out a new approach to teaching and learning. 

Eyelashes in your eye.

You are not your neurosis.  You are not your flaws.
You are not your mood, your mental state, your anxiety or depression.
You are not the pain, the suffering, the highs or the lows.

Yet you identify with it because it is so prominent, so strong.  So irritating.

But you know that it is not right.

You have a basic wisdom, an inner knowing that knows it is not who you are, that this is not the way that you were meant to be.

So you look to get better.  You look to fix yourself, to improve your health, your life.  You might even look for a pill.

But before you do, let me tell you:

You've already done the hard part.

You've identified the gap.

The gap between your neurosis and your wisdom.  The gap between the energetic display and your true nature.

That may be a big step to take all at once.  But what if you stopped identifying with the neurosis, the anxiety, the pain and the discomfort?

What if you identified with the unerring and true?  What if you identified with your natural clarity and your innate goodness?  Your wisdom?

Now that you have identified the gap,
you only need to train.

A Progression of Wisdom

Wisdom of Learning
The wisdom of learning and studying is the result of having gained knowledge and a conceptual understanding of a given subject.

Wisdom of Contemplation
The wisdom of contemplation is a deeper understanding of the implications and connections of this knowledge.  This deeper understanding allows you to apply your knowledge outside of one's subject matter and bring its insight into new settings.

Wisdom of Meditation
The wisdom of meditation is the experiential familiarization with this knowledge.  This is a profound level of understanding, not only of the implications and connections but the resolution of all doubts and uncertainty.  As one gains the wisdom of meditation, the obscurations to knowledge are continually removed as one goes deeper into the practice, gaining access to and cultivating a depth of knowledge that is beyond words or imagination.

The culmination of the wisdom of meditation is the knowledge of the true nature of reality and indeed the true nature of your own mind.  This is the wisdom that spiritual teachers share with us.  Having gone beyond mere words, they can share their own experience. 

The Lens.

We all see the world through a lens. 

It becomes distorted by negative emotions, bias, ignorance and fear.  It is clarified by knowledge, insight and wisdom.

Our thoughts can feed our perception (or misperception), furthering the distortion into something unrecognizable or they can be used skillfully with logic and reason to create clarity and true seeing.  Our perceptions give rise to our thoughts and intentions, which themselves gives rise to our actions. 

What kind of actions are we taking if our lens is obscured?  Is it right action?  Just?

Our character, discipline and integrity are founded upon right action, doing what is right for ourselves and others.  But if we are to walk with confidence free from doubt and fear, then first we need to clean our lens. 

We need to eliminate the emotional and cognitive obscurations that affect our perception.  That is a must. 

Time to do the work.

Let's Talk Wine

Not many people know this but Washington is a veritable treasury of excellent wines.  You may have heard a few things about the region if you live outside of the Pacific NW, maybe you even tasted one of the mass distributed wines which don't really portray the depth and richness the region has to offer.  Most likely though, you have been missing out on these great and accessible wines.

Let's start with amazing.

There are five main AVA's in Washington, each further divided into smaller AVA's that demonstrate unique characteristics and produce prestigious wines.  More and more we are seeing terroir specific vineyards that produce the highest caliber wines, each displaying a depth and subtlety that differentiates it from other vineyards in the same region.  You have top rated vineyards like Cailloux, Champous, Ciel du Cheval, In the Rocks and Red Mountain which each produce amazing wines that lead to endless exploration, fascination and delight.  There are world class vintners like Quilceda Creek, Figgins Estate and Owen Roe producing cabernet.  Merlot by Long Shadows and Leonetti.  Syrah is really the break out star in Washington, with ingenious producers like Cayuse, Gramercy Cellars, Reynvaan and Rotie Cellars.  That is just the tip of the iceberg, time and time again their are accessible, vivid and distinct Rhone varietals, Bordeaux blends and Riesling after Riesling that will knock your socks off. 

And you can actually get most of these wines as opposed to similar quality California wines which have steep price tags, long waiting lists and seem to be more interested in their name and money.

Washington is forging a new frontier.  You have to taste these wines to experience it yourself.

This is an example of inspirational faith.

There is something about this story that might stir you, hook your attention and curiosity.  You may experience feelings of joy, hope or desire.  It might bring you to laughter, maybe even tears.  It inspires you. 

Yearning faith.

The next step is where you say, 'I want to do that'.  'I can do that'.  This is faith based on learning, contemplating and putting effort into your practice.  This is where you actually taste some of the wines and develop a first impression.

Confident faith.

This is based on your own experience.  You've tasted the wine, know its subtle aromas and flavors.  You know its mouthfeel.  You can distinguish the different regions and vintages, you've examined the unique characteristics of specific terroir.  You know both the immediate and lasting impressions.   Your practice can still go deeper, more subtle and profound, but you have developed certainty within your domain.

The Buddha taught that only confident faith is trustworthy.

In inspirational faith there is no knowledge, experience or conviction.  In yearning faith there is some knowledge and experience but no conviction, allowing doubt to creep in.  It is only in confident faith that we possess knowledge, experience and conviction.

It is this type of faith that we should develop, which means that we need to do the work.

You should come here, we can go wine tasting.