We are fond of joking here that when things are not done well, it is indicative that this is the age of decline - another term for the final period, 'the last time, the last epoch, the last five hundred years, at the time of the collapse of the good doctrine', in the more melodic words of the Diamond Sutra, but I was tempted to think that Cleary was having a little dig. I am also tempted to point to some flagrant examples of the teaching being sold in pieces like a commodity, and I expect most of you readers could do as much, but since we just renewed our vows with the Full Moon Ceremony this morning (shout out to Renee for being an extremely powerful kokyo), I should probably refrain. And as I think about it a little further, it could be said that these periods are like the concept of rebirth - not necessarily sequential, but all capable of manifesting at any moment. I think there is some Buddhism in America that meets the needs of this time, and there is some imitation dharma, and some counterfeit dharma as well. Hopefully, if you care about these things, you will be able to discern which is which.
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| The moon last night and the sun this morning - or mabe the other way round |
3 comments:
As an American and a disciple of the Buddha, I wonder about the path of the Dharma in the US. It took me awhile to push though the counterfeit ideas (or at least learn to recognize them) and the way Americans and the West tend to commodify everything worries me sometimes. I worried and struggled about this stuff and kept my practice very private and quiet for many years. At one point, it simply became an underground river in my mind. While I don't go around wearing a Tshirt that says "Buddhist Inside" or something ridiculous like that I do now work to see my practice active in my life, family, and community. Sometimes I pull it off, sometimes I really screw it up. This is something I've been mulling over for sometime and this post is very timely for me for a number of reasons. I could go on, but blah - Thanks, Shundo
Thanks Mike, I think it is good to keep this in mind - and perhaps we can start selling those T-shirts...
And what about that Chris Froome, eh?
Oh yes, Froome almost pulled it off. It is really fun to watch a rider surge like that, especially in the second half of a Grand Tour. The photo of him on the final podium was telling - so lean and strong - I think we will see more of him, and I hope Wiggins gets another shot too. Still, 2 Brits on the podium since David Millar was nice to see.
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