Andrew Furst's Blog, page 162
June 18, 2014
Buddhist Violence: Old World Fathers
Wake up old world fathers,
you are stumbling.
Your institutions
have broken the world.
The mother is not heard.
Yet you lie in her womb,
blind to her taste, touch, smell, sight, sound and love.
She does not exist.
The Tatagatha has been reborn a stone god.
The lotus has withered.
Even Ksitigarbha cannot reach you.
Where have you lost your key?
You have found ground
where these is none.
You have found refuge
in a fortress framed from dust
Oh my cursed karma
has delivered you to me.
I take refuge in your great teachings
and give thanks.
May I grow a bountiful garden
at the foot or your dusty keep.
May the gathering dew of your dark night
nourish Maitreya.
May Ashoka’s great teaching,
Skillful for the times,
Open a thousand eyes in mother’s open hands
and open heart.
May you find what you are looking for.
May we take your blessing,
if not your words,
to dust off the heart of the Buddha.
- Andrew Furst
About Latest Posts
Follow meAndrewAuthor of the new book Western Lights,Meditation Teacher, Buddhist blogger, yogi, backup guitarist for his teenage boys, lucky husband and technologist Follow meLatest posts by Andrew (see all) Buddhist Violence: Old World Fathers - June 18, 2014 How Did I Become an Author? - June 14, 2014 Buddhist Essays: New Book Western Lights on Amazon.com - June 12, 2014 Powered by Starbox
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June 14, 2014
How Did I Become an Author?
I’m nearly at the end of my adventure becoming a published author. My book Western Lights is set to be released on Amazon this month. I’d call it an unqualified success. I thought it might be useful writing down my experience. As Austin Kleon says Show Your Work.
Deciding to Become An Author
Writing and publishing a book is a lot different from the way it was 10-20 years ago. Being a technologist in the age of the internet has made everything look easier. Publishing a book seems a lot less scary. I knew that regardless of whether I was picked up by a publisher, I’d get my book out there and be happy.
That last point can’t be stressed enough. My goals have been simple and achievable. I’ve gone into this with realistic expectations, but with a sense that I should do it right in case there is some measure of success.
For me getting to this point has been a gradual process. I didn’t start out with an explicit goal of being an author. It was one of a series of much simpler decisions I’ve made over the past ten years. My advice to you is to break it down and keep your focus on the immediate tasks. You can make better decisions on what’s next when you have more information. Let things come together on their own, the experience will be more enjoyable and successful.
Your path will be different, and you may end up somewhere you didn’t expect. But you’ll get there in a way that lets you to enjoy the time spent.
Four Steps to Become an Author
1, Finding the passion - The first decision was to walk into the door of a Buddhist Meditation group about 10 years ago. This uncovered a passion that has provided an endless source of material for me to write about.
2. Become an expert - The next step was to commit to the training required to become a Buddhist Meditation Teacher. This gave me the knowledge, practice, and commitment needed to be a subject matter expert.
The last two big decisions were to write and then to become an author.
3. Become a writer\blogger – I made the commitment to write as a way to serve the meditation group. When I took over leading the group I lead today, I took advantage of my technology skills to set up a WordPress site.
I posted a few simple things like our schedule, directions, and some basics about the qigong, meditation, and Pure Land teachings that I offered. Not long afterwards I started getting questions from people outside the group.
A wonderful young man from Manchester by the Sea who was doing his high school thesis on religion asked if he could start-up a conversation about Buddhism. I asked if I could post my answers to a blog. He agreed, and low and behold, I was a blogger.
4. Become an Author - Over the course of the next four years I continued to write in response to questions from the Sangha and in response to events and ideas. Last year, probably early summer, I looked back at my hundred or so blog posts and said – there’s a book in there somewhere! I decided to become an author. A year later, here I am.
Getting It Right
Step one was the most important. Without the passion, getting to the end will be a chore.
I wish you luck.
About Latest Posts
Follow meAndrewAuthor of the new book Western Lights,Meditation Teacher, Buddhist blogger, yogi, backup guitarist for his teenage boys, lucky husband and technologist
Follow meLatest posts by Andrew (see all) How Did I Become an Author? - June 14, 2014 Buddhist Essays: New Book Western Lights on Amazon.com - June 12, 2014 One Minute Meditation – Glistening Tide - June 12, 2014 Powered by Starbox The post How Did I Become an Author? appeared first on Andrew Furst.
June 12, 2014
Buddhist Essays: New Book Western Lights on Amazon.com
Buddhist EssaysI’m thrilled to announce the release of my new book Western Lights – A Collection of Short Essays on Buddhism. It is now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle format.
Western Lights is a collection of Buddhist essays from the viewpoint of a western teacher. It speaks about eastern concepts like Karma, Hope, Attachment, and Emptiness from a personal perspective and in terms familiar to Americans. They’re grounded in subject matter familiar to Americans like Politics, Science, Psychology, Heaven, and Nature.
About the Book
Buddhism is an ancient eastern tradition steeped in the culture of India, China, Tibet, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. It’s still acquiring its form and voice in the west. For Americans to benefit from its wisdom, it needs to find a place in our hearts and minds.
I hope to help the reader find a personal connection to this ancient tradition and discover what it has to say about the challenges of contemporary life.
Book Excerpts
Here are some excerpts of the Buddhist essays found in Western Lights
When we sit in meditation, we are closer than usual to the world as it is. By simply bringing body, breath, and mind together in the present moment, we touch Buddha; we touch reality, and we are in the world as it is. Most people’s experience in this state is peaceful and rejuvenating. - What is the Single Most Important Teaching?
Personal experience has proven that my body has to do nothing short of screaming to get my attention. In my mid-thirties I was working sixty plus hours per week. I loved the opportunity, I wanted the money, but then came the back spasms…. And that was the alarm that I needed. The lightening had struck. It was time for change. - Buddhist Healing
Separating the God question from Buddhism does not make Buddhists atheists—within silence lies mystery. That doesn’t mean, however, we should infer from this acknowledgement of the mystery a nod one way or another on the matter of the divine. - Buddhism: Spirituality for Atheists?
Pre-Release Reviews
Andrew Furst is an insightful and caring person with a unique and relevant perspective on the spiritual path that would be nothing less than a great addition to the marketplace of ideas. – Benjamin Riggs – Featured Columnist on Elephant Journal
Western Lights is one of those rare books that uniquely change the traditional discourses in sociological thought – Dr. Vonda Swartz
As a Catholic, unfamiliar with the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism, I appreciated the explanations. Andy made the teachings accessible and understandable. A perfect primer! – Steven Fulton
Western Lights offers a detailed introduction to Buddhist philosophy for people familiar with western religions or who aren’t particularly religious. The author does a good job of laying out the material in a very causal way that is generally easy to understand and provides a high degree of readability – Jason Dumont
About Latest Posts
Follow meAndrewAuthor of the new book Western Lights,Meditation Teacher, Buddhist blogger, yogi, backup guitarist for his teenage boys, lucky husband and technologist
Follow meLatest posts by Andrew (see all) Buddhist Essays: New Book Western Lights on Amazon.com - June 12, 2014 One Minute Meditation – Glistening Tide - June 12, 2014 Western Lights – Getting Ready… - June 8, 2014 Powered by Starbox The post Buddhist Essays: New Book Western Lights on Amazon.com appeared first on Andrew Furst.
One Minute Meditation – Glistening Tide
Ever notice how the sun’s reflection on the sea makes a path of light to you? Noticing it glistening on the tide can invoke an inner vibration. If you’re very quiet, you might be able to feel it . Many secrets can be found through a steady practice of introspection and mindfulness.
Every day, these minute meditations offer me a chance to recollect myself and shed the stress of life.
I hope that you can use this series for your benefit. To view the weekly meditation, click on the link above titled One Minute Meditations.
To get an email notifying you of new post, follow the Subscribe Here link.
Light Meditation
Feel the shivering
Light brings to the open heart
Rising with nature
About Latest Posts
Follow meAndrewAuthor of the new book Western Lights,Meditation Teacher, Buddhist blogger, yogi, backup guitarist for his teenage boys, lucky husband and technologist
Follow meLatest posts by Andrew (see all) Buddhist Essays: New Book Western Lights on Amazon.com - June 12, 2014 One Minute Meditation – Glistening Tide - June 12, 2014 Western Lights – Getting Ready… - June 8, 2014 Powered by Starbox
The post One Minute Meditation – Glistening Tide appeared first on Andrew Furst.
June 8, 2014
Western Lights – Getting Ready…
Hard at work this weekend addressing envelopes that will contain copies of my new book Western Lights and other goodies. Those envelopes will be headed to the wonderful people who contributed to my Indiegogo Campaign. My publisher is hard at work going through the details of moving the book up to Amazon and final review.
Western Lights is Almost Here!
The path has been long, but gradual. Patience has been the key to getting here. It all started with my blog a little more than four years ago. Then came the decision to write the book. From then it was just a matter of plugging away one step at a time; assembling the chapters, raising the money, editing the book, getting the book cover and layout done and now publishing the book.
Thank you for your help and I hope you enjoy the book when it arrives!
About Latest Posts
Follow meAndrewAuthor of the new book Western Lights,Meditation Teacher, Buddhist blogger, yogi, backup guitarist for his teenage boys, lucky husband and technologist
Follow meLatest posts by Andrew (see all) Western Lights – Getting Ready… - June 8, 2014 Is Your Salvation 401k Well Funded? - June 7, 2014 One Minute Meditation – Summer’s First Dip - June 5, 2014 Powered by Starbox The post Western Lights – Getting Ready… appeared first on Andrew Furst.
June 7, 2014
Is Your Salvation 401k Well Funded?
When, being saved by the inconceivable power of [Amitabha] Buddha’s Vow, your birth in [Amitabha's] Pure Land is assured beyond any doubt and the desire to say the nembutsu erupts within you, in that instant you are clasped fast by [Amitabha], never to be abandoned, thus entering into absolute happiness. - Tannisho
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. - Psalm 63:1
To westerners like me who grew up Christian, the Pure Land School is probably the closest thing to familiar that Buddhism has to offer. There is an other-ness to Amitabha Buddha that is analogous to the God of the Abrahamic traditions.
The quote above from the great Japanese text Tannisho has an old time revival ring to it. The author bears witness to the spontaneous desire to call to the Buddha as we are saved from our own sin and transgressions! Can I get an Amen?
The Pure Land school of Buddhism in Japan was something of a revival movement. It’s history arises out of popular sects led by seminal figures like Shinran and Ippen, who roamed the countryside spreading the word. The word was the Nembutsu – chanting Namo Amida Butsu (Chinese: Namo Amitofo) – and it is the act of recalling the Buddha.
The Self vs. The Other
When we say Buddha Amitabha, or other power, what are we talking about ? It begins by understanding self. The Buddha warned us to be careful when we talk about self-reliance.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to concede that we are incapable of doing much without the help of others. We are always in relationship to and in reliance on an other.
Think about it. Getting up in the morning, I depend on the sun, the alarm clock, electricity and myriad people who keep the systems of modern comfort ticking. Independence is relative. No one is entirely independent. Reflection on our reliance on others helps to define true faith. We go about our lives with an overwhelming amount of faith in what others do for us. We have profound faith in our alarm clocks, our parents, and the people who manufacture our food, clothing, shelter, and so on.
Reliance on others is a fact of life. The notion that we are islands is a delusion. When we talk about Pure Land Buddhist faith, we are talking about faith in Buddha Amitabha. In the most practical terms, Amitabha is the interdependent web of life. Faith in Buddha Amitabha is faith in the interdependence.
What is Salvation?
Most of us treat salvation like a 401k. We look to scripture, to the examples of the saints, and religious leaders for models of how to conduct ourselves towards salvation. The idea is, if we invest wisely, we’ll get a good return. But is salvation really transactional? Can we rack up enough points? How many good deeds, prayers, and choir practices does it take to get to heaven? What amount of good works will relieve us from the difficulties of this life?
This is the delusion of self-reliance. If we are utterly reliant upon others for everything in our lives, what can we possibly do to save ourselves? When we let go of the transactional concept of salvation, we are saved. The eruption of gratitude, compassion and wisdom that comes about from acknowledging that we’re practically helpless is the revelation. To borrow from Evangelical Christianity, it’s being born again.
This is the breakthrough that the Buddha came to. He recognized that the notion of self-reliance is the biggest barrier to freedom. Liberation is not an accumulation of good deeds. Good deeds are the natural consequence of letting go of the idea we can go it alone. Let go of the misconception that we’re in control. Recognize that we are indebted to everyone around us for our fortunes and comfort. Let this realization guide you towards a life lived in gratitude, compassion and wisdom.
Namo Amitofo.
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June 5, 2014
One Minute Meditation – Summer’s First Dip
Last weekend my family attended our church’s annual retreat at Ferry Beach in Saco,Maine. It’s been a tradition in our family for probably 10 years. I take my first steps in the Atlantic Ocean here every year.
The center overlooks the beach. Each day you fall sleep and rise to the sound of the surf. It’s an extremely refeshing experience. I was up early both mornings to take video and lead a seaside meditation.
This year’s beach weekend was especially good for me. It has been a difficult year for my family. My younger son has had a rough go of it. The setting and the community enveloped us in a sense of safety and love. I felt taken care of. The vastness of the ocean seemed willing and able to absorb everything weighing on my mind.
Primal Meditation
Returning to the sea each June is like recharging batteries. The cadence of the surf washes away stress . It carries away the burdens of life that drain your energy.
While we sat lazily on the beach Sunday morning, my wife was describing a conversation she had earlier. She was talking with a rock climber about how that community was adamant about leaving nature untouched. My wife made the point that if that were even possible, nature would be inaccessible and at higher risk for destruction.
The example she used was Acadia National Park. This gem of the Maine coast exhibits a perfect balance between preserving nature and our personal connection with it. The island is lined with a remarkable trail system. Hiking paths range from marked walks to elaborately executed stone stairways. You can climb at least one mountain from trail head to peak on a nearly unbroken chain of well placed rocks.
These trails give people the opportunity to be in nature, something critical to our health and well-being. Being in nature also motivates us to preserve it. If you treat our natural surrounding as something other than our home, we risk its demise. Living is messy, but we strike the balance between preservation and being alive in our spaces. This weekend reminded me how important our home is.
Ancestral Home
Eons from life’s birth
The sea still calls us by name
And we still answer
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May 31, 2014
The Gun Debate. Who is Telling You What to Think?
Another in a stream of mass shootings occurred this week and the media lit up like a Christmas tree. A predictable burst of social media spats erupted, outrage was expressed, and the victim’s families were swept into the national debate.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
Please don’t read me as being unsympathetic. In fact, a feeling of deep empathy drives me to examine the gun debate to see what’s working and what’s not.
On CNN.com there is an article about the current policy debate. One of the sub titles is telling. It declares the “Stage set for [a] partisan fight.” Sadly, it’s depressingly accurate. The gun debate is all too scripted. The Gun Control Lobby and the NRA have successfully commandeered America’s dialog on the issue. The comment threads are dominated by the talking points dictated by the two groups.
Are All The Gun Debate Ideas Used Up?
One might argue that the problem has already been thought through and all the options explored. What the NRA and Gun Control lobby propose must be the best options. We just need to choose.
In my humble opinion, that’s just lazy.
I’ve written about this topic before in election years and the same argument applies. When we adhere to an ideology we give up our freedom. When we parrot the talking points of lobbyists, we give up our voice in the debate. In a country founded on freedom, we’re quick to give it away.
Our polarized two-party system is proof of our laziness. If the citizen’s of this country are willing to accept that there are only 2 choices, the hook is in our mouth. We deserve what we get.
Wake Up
So why is this Buddhist blogger ranting about politics? Have I strayed a little too far from the cushion? Not at all. The gun debate is a perfect illustration of how suffering is perpetuated.
Suffering comes in three flavors
The suffering of suffering – that’s actual pain, sickness, and death.
The suffering caused by change - what comes from denying that all things are impermanent
Suffering of conditioned existence – what happens when things don’t live up to our expectations.
The consequences of political dogma are a prime example of the suffering of conditioned existence. How does it play out? Its starts with delusions and it ends in disappointment.
Both sides of the gun debate offer indefensible positions. The gun control lobby, by ballot, managed to ban all weapons in the city of San Fransisco through Proposition H. It’s a blatant Second Amendment breach. The NRA has thrown its support behind sharing the personal data of people with mental health issues with the federal criminal background check system. Apparently in this case we can forego due process.
Setting aside constitutional issues, experience tells us that neither of these solutions are viable. Both are impractical distractions from what could otherwise be a useful national dialog. Yet both of these solutions have seen ballot boxes and legislature floors. Both solutions garnered enough public support to become law. We asked for it!
This binary format for debate is unproductive. The fact that we all fall for it, is a prime example of how we blindly embrace suffering. We adopt untenable positions and we’re surprised and disappointed when they fail.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
Sandy Hook to Isla Vista.
How the Gun Debate is Working
Quietly though, we see effective work being done nationwide. A recent study by Boston’s Children’s Hospital found that states with more gun laws have less gun violence. Beyond the flashy limelight of the media headlines America is getting safer and it’s happening without banning guns or invading privacy.
So, as the Buddha might say, progress comes as one part compassion and one part wisdom. It comes from compassion for the victims families and the wisdom to reject the two solution delusion. Claim your voice. Think for yourself. Don’t let someone else think for you. Otherwise you end up loosing your freedom.
About Latest Posts
Follow meAndrewAuthor of the new book Western Lights,Meditation Teacher, Buddhist blogger, yogi, backup guitarist for his teenage boys, lucky husband and technologist
Follow meLatest posts by Andrew (see all) The Gun Debate. Who is Telling You What to Think? - May 31, 2014 One Minute Meditation – The Heronry - May 29, 2014 What Got Done Today? Kindle Version of Western Lights - May 27, 2014 Powered by Starbox The post The Gun Debate. Who is Telling You What to Think? appeared first on Andrew Furst.
May 29, 2014
One Minute Meditation – The Heronry
This weeks one minute meditation was filmed at a great blue heronry a few towns north of where I live. My son and I trekked over on Memorial Day weekend after the rain stopped on Saturday morning. It was my first visit. He had been several times and showed signs of boredom when my wife suggested he show me the way.
While the video doesn’t give you the view of the of the nestlings that our 60X telescope offered, you can make out the shapes of the parents and nests at the tops of the dead trees in the center of the marsh. The nestlings were awkward and homely. Barely a trace of the beauty and grace their parents exuded. But seeing them rustle around in their perches brought smiles of joy to both our faces. The trip was worth it.
When I first arrived I marvelled at how the adult herons could sit so patiently. Something that is always a challenge for me and my busybody nature. The solitary towers seemed to safeguard the young from unmotivated humans and ground bound predators. But then I revisited my memories of parking the car and the walk in. The field where I left the car was being circled by at least one red-tailed hawk. The memory reminded me that it was diligence, not leisure, that was occupying the big birds.
In a matter of moments I had projected the contradictory states of peacefulness and fear upon these great blue herons. How far I must be from the truth.
But then again, what is the problem to solve?
The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence. – Jiddu Krishnamurti
Meditation – Day 3085
I wonder, the birds,
are they as joyful, flying,
as I imagine?
- Troy Freund
Read more from Troy Freund at his Day-to-Day Haiku Project at http://troyfreund.wordpress.com/
You can also view his photos here
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May 27, 2014
What Got Done Today? Kindle Version of Western Lights
The book has been converted for kindle by my designer Opaque Design & Print Production. So excited. A few edits and we’re ready to release!
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