BCCN Newsletter, Vol 8, Issue 1

8/3/2019 BCCN Newsletter, Vol 8, Issue 1

1/12

It seems like eons ago that I was released from prison, yet I was released

from sorn orreonal enter in onnet only a lile less than three

months ao ein ot has een dilt in some ways, t it has lmately

een ery sasfyin

he maor fear I had while in prison was that proaon was oin to e a

prolem for me, that it was a trap with the ineitale onlsion that I wold

hae to ome ak to prison ein that I did two years for a drnken rlary

and hae e years of proaon with ten years sspended oer my head, this

fear was ite intense ther inmates fed my fears with proaon horror

stories that I now see were likely eaeraons, or were simply representa

e of how they pereied it ease they were nwillin to hane the dei

ant lifestyles that landed them in prison in the rst plae My eperiene of

proaon is that it is not dilt at all if yo are willin to lie free of drs

and a riminal lifestyle

he rst proaon oer I had was a really nie lady who atally treated me

like a hman ein, treatment I had ertainly not reeied from athority

res in prison I perhaps feared that proaon wold e a onnaon of

the inhmane treatment y athories I eperiened in prison, t I was ery

happy to realie that it is not at all the ase My rst proaon oer was

een ery interested in hearin aot the meditaon enters that I freent

ed on the weekends and allowed me to o to other states to aend them

sine the area of onnet I lie in does not hae anythin like that any

where lose eently I was swithed to another proaon oer he rst

one was someone who sees people who hae st oen ot of prison and

need to e seen eery week he new one sees me eery two weeks While

the new proaon oer does not seem as interested in the eat details of

my inolements, she is easy to et alon with and is pleased with the pro

ress I hae made in my life She een epressed that I am somewhat of an

anomaly in proaon, as many people she sees o riht ak to the lifestyle

2)

January-ar

uu

NEWSLETTERB u d d h i s t C o r r e s p o n d e n c e C o u r s e

nu

Reentering, Philip Speirs 1

Haiku, Louis J. Rocco 3

My Mecca, Erik Fite 3

True Freedom, Zachariah de la Torre 3

uminaon, Steven Hyman 4

Nobiity, Mike Miller 4

Virtue, Brian Alberer 4

Faith, the Dharma, & the Free Word

Rev. Mujin Karuna

5

Sin vs. Karma, Stefan Crisbasan 6

Sience is Loud, Wilmer Hause 6

Truth, Gregory Howard 6

The Now Choice, James L. Halbirt 7

Contemang nightenment,

James Davie

7

My Buddhist Journey, Angie Oakes 8

Samsara: A Haiku, Chad Frank 9

Leng o, icking ,Jeremy Jones (Tensin Hyon Sek)

9

Sove the robems, Charles Carter 10

Steadfast argoye, Hans Maverick 10

Magic, Zachariah de la Torre 10

uided Meditaon: uanimity,

James L. Halbirt

12

Luck, Myron Stebbins 12

Tibet, Lawrence Jay Hughes 12

Natura nsncts, Willie E. Campbell 11


2/12

2

The BCCN is distributed

at no charge to those

taking the Buddhist

Correspondence Course.

This is your newsleer

by you, about you, and for you. You are

the major contributors, so send us your

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you uote from published books or ar

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We welcome your comments on the

newsleer and suggesons for ways we

might improve it to serve you beer.

they lived before their arrest and are not as proacve about seng themselves

up for success. now know that as long as dont get arrested for anything seri

ous and dont do drugsthings have the power to controlprobaon is just a

helpful reminder of why need to move forward with my life.

When was in prison, everyone told me that my meditaon and interest in Bud

dhism would fade away when got out. Similar to the saying, There are no athe

ists in the foholes, prison is seen as a place where there is lile to do but be

spiritual in some way. Spirituality can even be essenal for a person to keep their

sanity. The other side of the consensus that got from most people is that when

you get out you will be too busy for such things. This has not been true at all for

me, and since have goen out of prison my interest in Buddhism and medita

on has only increased. While it is true that there certainly is ample me to prac

ce in prison, prison is actually a very dicult place to pracce the path, espe

cially if there is no opon for Buddhism on your prisons religious designaon and

no one to teach you in person, as it was for me in Conneccut.

When you get out and are not behind bars, you can choose to put yourself

around encouraging, posive people and environments. For me, doing so has

really caused my pracce to ourish. Almost every weekend since got out have

been aending various Buddhist meditaon centers and retreats that found

through search engines on the nternet. tried out many different types of Bud

dhist tradions and while respect them all, recently found a place and tradion of Buddhism that parcularly clicked with me and am in the process of

geng involved there on a regular basis. n fact, this coming endofweek/

weekend will be volunteering to help prepare for a Buddhist fesval taking

place. really cannot emphasie enough how wonderful it is aer being the only

Buddhist knew in prison to have found a Sangha full of Buddhists. recommend

trying to connect with other Buddhists somehow when you are released because

the support you can give and receive is invaluable. So this is something to really

look forward to when you get out, and you will find, as have, that fellow Bud

dhists tend to be very accepng of your criminal history.

The dicules have faced being out have mainly been the creaons of my own

mind. When first got out, literally felt like somehow everyone could tell hadjust goen out of prison and was incredibly anious about it. n my head it was

as if had been physically branded so everyone could see that was a felon. felt

like people would judge me harshly as a goodfornothing criminal and want

nothing to do with me, yet the only one who has judged me harshly so far has

been myself, and ve been working on being kinder to myself. also had an in

tense feeling of alienaon from the world, as if were hopelessly different from

everyone else because of where had spent the last two years of my life. As me

went on this feeling has slowly diminished and is near to dissolving completely.

Connued from age 1)

Connued on age 3)

INFORMATION

AVAILABLE


3/12

3

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2)

Before a single step there comes intent.he hisper of insnct. nee.

he iea something somehere must exist

noing hateer comes its me to leae

ing olomons eauful songs lull some

Others the pearl of great price of Joseph mith.

he Buhas Heart utra lures ones loe

Perhaps the ish of Mary Magalenes kiss

Meanering anerers smile aroa

esnaon seconary to aenture

esperate stern-face seekers caste their lot eath preferale to faile ascension

Footprints an track marks alternate as milestones

Its har to tell ho far ones really come

single phone call prouces ial tones

aoos unrael knie scriptures come unone

unoer patches pollinate opmism.

Where stars are gaze an naps are taken

unlight refracts through the mins prison

Refreshe enturing forth re-aakene

Incene seekers seek incene an

ecretly fancy their arrial anquet

For some the pilgrimage itself is essenal

rael y night an arrie unexpecte

ome play it y touch some procee y force

oing forth orers ont e isnguishe

he hearts compass resets its course

nl the Holy rail is relinquishe

A tree in the yard

dhidhara t in

Aer hi rney


4/12

4

Illumination

I awakened this morning in a confused malaise. Perhaps an early walk might

soothe my soulmy own lile ision uest. he sun is rising and the coer of

dew uiets my steps. think am alone. look up at the trees and noce some

hae thick trunks while others, thin. Some are straight, others crooked. Some

hae rambling ines, forming a despised alliance that will eentually exhaust

and kill both.

n the sky see a hawk and a crow circle aboe a prey. hey are best of

friends. A wounded fox lies below their flight. hey stare at each other. Who

should hae the first strike upon the poor hapless fox? he two allies argue as

to this concern. hen they turn on each other and fight in the air aboe. he

wounded fox knows none of this. he two mighty warriors bale to the end.

One drops out of the heaens two feet from the defenseless ulpine. Mr. Fox

smiles at his good fortune and leisurely feeds on his unannounced dinner.

Hardy and hale, he cheerfully prances away.

connue on my ourney. come across an opossum. He sees my arrial. nplaying dead, he plays stupid, so many a predator has le him alone. Who

would beliee that such an ugly, unintelligent, nerous lile creature could be

capable of such decepon?

walk on. see two frogs sing in a puddle. listen as they discuss their

plight. Frog number 1 looks at the other and says, Our pool is drying up un-

der the summer heat. Soon we will hae no water or food. We should look for

another home. watch as they hop away. follow not too close behind. hey

pass a deep well amply supplied with water and nourishment. Frog number 2

says to his chum, Let us descend and make our abode here! he smart frog

replies with great cauon, ut suppose the water should fail us. How can we

get out from such a considerable depth? hey hop away in a sophiscated

manner. walk on. see a suirrel with two handfuls of nuts. One lile nut

drops out of his hands. He tries to pick it up and drops 20 more. He tries to

pick up the 21st and drops them all. hen he loses his temper and runs away.

e sasfied with what you had! shout out to his behind.

march on spong a meadow with a fragrant apple orchard. eing hungry

from my ourney, climb a tree and select a red ripe prize. take a minute to

munch my lunch when an opportunisc wasp alights on my apple. swat him

o, not subming to his demand. he angry felon worked himself up into a

iolent rage. He lost all consideraon of penalty and stung my hand. As a re-

sult of his reenge, he was unable to extricate his weapon from its target.

Now he was compelled to tear himself free, which entailed upon himself a

lingering death accompanied by pains much greater than those he had inflict-

ed on me.

Concerned not to obtain any further inury, circle back to retrace my steps.

lue ays are bickering in my path showing each other who is boss. One bold

fellow anuishes his adersaries to fly away. He stomps the ground to show

his strength and glory. Look at me! he shouts. am the ictorious blue ay!

At that moment an eagle dies from aboe and seizes the blue ay in his tal-

ons, pleased to carry him to the nest. leae the woods today a beer man,

only slightly confused.

NOBILITY

strie each day to lie with nobility

o rise about like a supreme deity

want to lie each day exercising the

mind

Maybe een be a philanthropist for all of

mankind.

want to perpetuate irtue in all do

And if youre reading this, maybe can

influence you.

Right speech is a noble truth in itself

Whether youre poor or lie a life of

wealth.

ts neer too late to open your eyesStop hiding from yourself behind a eil of

lies

Right intent starts with your acon

Just lead by example with your compas-

sion.

You will show your irtuous energy to

family and friend

hey will eentually see that you no

more pretend

You will experience happiness and much

beer daysJust neer forget...its nobility that will

change your ways.

VIRTUE

Brian Alberer (Smyrna, DE)


5/12

5

In the BCCN Volume 7, Issue 2, I wrote From Prison

Blues to the oe o ieron ine then I ws se

to onsier wrin out how m re hele me

oe with the hllenes o n to the ree worl

er m relese s I sit here onerin how to ormu

lte it in wors, I thin I will just esrie m own jour

ne, s ws se

We ll now tht theres not one onvit tht oesnt

ut themselves throuh it when the eome short,

eseill one loein with their out te The t o

the mer is the me hs nll ome or tht ste

towr resonsiilit Bein le to et, thin, n shit

on our own me n when ou wnt to without n

offier tellin ou To e le to oen our own oors

n unlo them when ou wnt To flush the toilet

without usin our oot Wow!! ie is hnin st,

n theres nothin tht ou n o to sto it! We me

list o r to o when we et outmovies weve

misse, new CDs to u, lothes to etsine we hve

none now tht ll our solle riens hve quire

them, et The list oes on, n we hve tht list

stshe w in our ootloer, hve h it or ers,

n the thin ees rowin, so it woul seem On the

one hn, its some unn shit On the other, its ver

seriousl rel We wnt to o it ll euse we misse

so muh o wht lie hs to offer, or hve we? Thts the

queson, wht hve ouwe misse? nswer, not

mn thin! Beuse ll tht stuff oesnt mer Itswht ot us loeu in the rst lethe wish to

in stuff we ont nee

In the Buhs tehins, he instruts us to not e

ome he to thins tht we ont nee to live our

lives, the thins tht onl rin sufferin, n we lern

this n relie this while in rison er ll, rison is

the retest le to trul ut ones re to the test,

to see i wht the Buh tuht wors To see the Bu

hs Dhrm t its est, in the worl o ul, the Gret

Ctstrohe But wht is it tht hnes when we wl

throuh the min te n into the ree worl? It

wore or ll those ers in rison Wh isnt it now

tht Im in the worl? One wor ene In rison

we h to e ent We h no hoie in the mer

But now its ifferent Where o we strt rst, n with

wht? Wheres tht mn list? Itll hel, n Ill just hill

n see wht or who omes m w rst houl I i it

with m homeos, or shoul I not tell none n hill

lone or while? Get m min riht? Beore we even

strt n et out the te were oome, n weve

one it to ourselves without even nowin rell n i

ou now, or those tht hve een own more thnone, its lie ou now eer ut ou nt sto tht

minset Its mness or rel!

For me, I ws livin in the ree worl lie I ws sll on

C 2 t FP, wlin n orth in m ell, onl now

m ell hs some lss n C, eer view n ool

to o jum in Gen m BCCN n ll the rest o m

mil, tht ws the sme ll Buhist in nture I oul

nt stn to e roun eole I te m oo the sme,

with shovel n lie I h some le to e With m

rior reor I ws ri to o nthin Hell, I sore out

to months without new hre, stnin sll I

oulnt trust none or nthin n thouht I ws

oome I shoul never hve le rison I ws eer off

there It ot to the oint to where I re to o , Iwnt to o to tht shit hole Wow, how r i I

eome? How r i the sstem me me? Well, I

ws wron, theres no the, just me I i ll this to

msel, noo ut msel I ws so sun with the me,

m, n I tht I h lost ous o everthin I elieve,

the Dhrm n who I ws I lost ith in msel, n s

soon s ou o tht, its over! Beuse s Buhists,

(nne n ae 8)


6/12

6

Karma

One of the strong points

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Wilmer Hause (Cranston, RI)

-

SILENCE IS LOUD

TRUTH

Truth is neither

ier nt seet

Yet a lie is mre

Seet than the

Nectar f the gds .


7/12

7

The crossroads in your life are alays places f chice.

Chsing truth means yur decisin ill be based nt n

eternal circumstance epectans udgments r ther

ed beliefs but n yur relanship ith yur inner

Surce. acts dnt cnstute truth. Yu may be factual

but nt tell the truth. acts are created. They are by na-

ture f the past. Truth can nly be knn in the here and

n.

The reasn e dnt kn hat e are is because f ur

aenn t frms. e create labels f near-innite diver-

sity. e generally live unuesningly under the illusin

f ur separate self-eistence. hen e try t make ur-

selves the bects f ur n aareness e cannt. T

d s stps ur minds. e cme t a crucial insight: hat

e call I r me is a kind f default mental cnstrucn

that ur minds autmacally turn t. e assume ur n

eistence is cncrete and becve yet this assumpn

remains valid nly as lng as e d nt lk directly fr

ur I. The mment e d it is gne. hen e remain in

the present e have the pprtunity t decnstruct this

false identy and learn t abide in the essence f the n.

hen ur sense f self is based n hat e see in the

mirrr e are nt cnscius that there is a mre funda-

mental part f urselves that can be aare f ur self-

bservan. e spend ur hle lives chasing aer sme

ideal r imprved image never sased ith h e

lk ithut realizing that in ding s e mve ur

minds elsehere rather than in the present.

hen e all ur minds t gr uiet and recepve as

in meditan e can appreciate the unkning in the

face f beliefs abut urselves and the ay e idenfy

urselves. e can create a mre ferle grund fr discv-

ering mre f h e really are. Everything e are aare

f implies the eistence f smething aare f this aare-

ness and if e try t name that hich is aare then

there is sll anther ne that is aare. This is like standingin a mirrred rm and seeing yur reecn repeang

innitely int space.

hen e turn ur aareness tard self-inuiry e

must remain in the present in the n. Obviusly e

dnt kn h t stay uncndinally in the present

unl e discver that this me is nt h e really are

unl e realize that e are nt the feelings that enter ur

minds. Ideas abut urselves are relave nt abslute

truths.

hen e nally are able t see ur true self it lks at all

e think d and eperience including ur sense f me.

In this lking a relanship is created that has the per

t transfrm ur eperience f urselves and ur rlds.

Thrughut ur lives the mment e bring ur aare-

ness fully int the n e enter the dmain f the true

self. In the n it is ust hat it is. In the n I g back t

my riginal aareness by the ay that I have cme.

e eercise the per f aareness and strengthen ur

spiritual muscle by bringing urselves ver and ver again

int the immediate present. e turn ur aenn direct-

ly t hat e are eperiencing instead f staying en-

meshed in feeling r blindly accepng ur beliefs abut

urselves and thers. e d this in ur meditan prac-

ce and in ur daily lives.

Lve f humanity and all that eists is the backbne f

reality. Nthing is in eile frm this. Nthing in life des

nt belng here. Even fear. Our bsessin ith survival

and security alays ulmately leads us back t fear and all

its mininsper cntrl self-righteusness ealusy

neediness greed blame hate and revenge. e live in

endless hpe f imagined security fr freedm frm an

endless legin f eternal threats. In that very hpe h-

ever is the rt f fear that hich e have nt turned t

meet and hld. Hpe cannt break us ut f that cycle. It

is nly in facing fear that e becme free f the cycle f

fear and hpe. hen e nally face ur egs primal fear

f being uerly and hpelessly enguished e cme t

realize the true surce f ur true nature. It is never in the

past r future. It is alays in the present.


8/12

8

faith starts with the person. Buddhist faith is not blind faith

and some cop-out to usf the means to the end. ou and

ou alone will be the one to make it or break it.

Shugen Sensei told me while in prison that if I wanted to

come to Zen Mountain Monaster for residenc, I would have

to wait a ear or so unl m re-entr to the free world had

seled. ell, that was too long. I would never make it that

ear. e explained and opened m ees to one of the most

profound teaching in Buddhism paence. ithout paence

we have nothing, not even a real pracce. e talked about

paence and its teachings for a ver long me, and to this da

Im sll learning this harma lesson. ithout paence, we

have nothing, nor can we come to an true realiaon of an-

thing, especiall the harma and the end of suffering. Pa-

ence in and of itself is the harma ate to all the Buddhas

teachings. nd it starts with ou. ou have to be paent with

ourself, with life, and everthing in it, too. See with the True

harma e. To see the inmac of all Things, the Thus of life,

is to see who ou are trul in the light of mpness. In ones

true light of self-nature. Its that ver change that unfolded

over the ears in that cell, that change given to us b the Bud-

dha b means of the harma teachings. That change that

took us from the mind of a criminal to the mind of a Buddhist

with love and compassion for the world and all its suffering.

That for the most part, each and ever one of us here have

had a hand in.

So how did I make it from prison blues to the robe of libera-

on Pracce It was b taking responsibilit as in prison and

using the same point of view one has to realie in order to be

a convict and do me, and not let me do ou. The precepts

are what I live b, at least the best I can. Moment to moment,

in the ever-changing world of impermanence, I keep them to

the front of m mind. nd its b falling that reat oubt

manifests itself. nd when I break a Precept and pick mself

back up, it empowers me in the vortex of mundane condi-

ons to have faith in mself. It allows me to invesgate the

maer and see things ust as the are. hat is ust is, and

theres nothing to add or take awa from that point of entr. I

believe that the training precepts are the ra that will take

ou out the gate and back into the world. So hold them near,as the moonlight that shone for all those ears through that

cell window off the raor wire. The light of hope, the ancient

ee that shines so bright in the darkest of moments. The Mani

that fills our heart to this da, kept safe under the chin of the

dragon.

Im no preacher man, and b far do I have it or anthing right.

ust a small monk taking one step at a me. But if I had to

sum it all up, and give something to take out that gate, it

would be the second precept, ust as it is o not steal. Be

giving. This is the dharma, in which nothing can be obtained,

and that means its impossible to possess anthing. e can-

not step outside to take hold of anthing. e alread contain

everthing.

To possess something means to separate ourself from some-

thing. rom the viewpoint of realiaon, everthing is unob-

tainable, including the Buddha a. rabbing, controlling,

and dominang are an upside down wa of understanding

the nature of the universe and the self. I took a vow to this

precept to take up the pracce of the Six Perfecons

generosit, ethical discipline, paence, eal, meditaon, and

wisdom. Through this wa of pracce Iou will cut the root

of desire.

Zen Master Bodhidharma said, Not giving rise to the thought

of obtaining is called the precept of refraining from stealing.

hen mind and obect are not discriminated, the gate of Lib-

eraon is open. This is the realit, and thats realiaon ood

luck, and keep it real

5)

for about ten ears now. No

all of those ears were eas for me. Being a Buddhist in pris

on has been one of the hardest things Ive had to deal with.

In the beginning of m ourne, I had to deal with m famil

asking me wh I couldnt ust follow a hrisan life. None othem understood that a mainstream religion was not wha

moved me or touched m heart. To this da I sll have famil

who do not accept me or m belief sstem.

M next challenge was telling people I thought were m

friends here in prison of m decision to pracce Buddhism.

was ver hard for me to hear people who claimed to like an

accept me call names like heathen and atheist. s I stud

ied the books from the B and put what I learned to prac

ce, I learned to deal with it. I lost friends and I learned to b

oka with it.

I transferred rom a max prison to a medium prison a ea

aer I started the B. I had enough confidence not to hide

m pracce. Some people have told me at some point Ill fin

the truth and Ill come to follow hrist. There have been peo

ple who have told me Im going to hell for being a nonbeliev

er. I meet their negave views with a smile and sa Than

ou. or the most part, no one reall bothers me about i

here.

bout two ears ago with the help of a Buddhist staff mem

M BUIST OURN

AiOksLicl,IL)


9/12

9

ber I started a Sangha here. In all my years of being incarcer-

ated I had never done anything that could help other inmates

on an inmate level. I as pleasantly surprised to nd there

ere other Buddhists here. Having a Sangha to lean on and

turn to has become a comfort to all of us. Our teacher is kind

and giving of his me. I am grateful and honored to be taught

by him.

I as nally able to start receiving a vegan diet. It took me a

hile, but the Chaplain nally decided to allo it. I simply

cannot condone the killing of animals so that I may eat. This

opened the door for other inmates to receive a vegan diet if

their religion calls for it. This has caused people to look at me

funny because I dont eat meat. I have a different tray so

others make negave remarks. I have learned from my prac-

ce ust to be humble. I smile and simply tell them it is

against my beliefs to have a helpless animal die so that I may

eat. It ust doesnt bother me anymore hat other people

have to say about me. I have the support of the Sangha and

those ho understand my choice.

I am no preparing for Jukai. My teacher has performed this

ceremony for male inmates before. I ill be his rst female

inmate. The Chaplain here at incoln Correconal Center

contacted the regional Chaplain in Illinois and asked if I could

have rakusu. He said yes, as long as it ent through personal

property and I as told I could only have it on during private

pracce and hen I as at Sangha. I ill be making my ra-

kusu myself and giving it to the Chaplain so she can do the

paperork so I may have it. lso by compleng Jukai, I ill

obtain a (Sanskrit) Dharma name. Im looking forard to

that.

I am on a nonstop ourney as a Buddhist praconer. I look

forard to seeing here that ourney leads me. I have decid-

ed that for the rest of my stay in prison, I ill be of service to

others. I ill help ith homeork. tutor in math and/or read-

ing, be a shoulder to lean on, hatever someone needs. Pris-

on can be a hard and lonely place. I dont ant to see anyone

suffer needlessly. kind act could be all the difference to

someone. So, yes, Im looking forard to seeing here my

ourney takes me.

Letting Go, Picking UpJeremy Jones, Tenshin Hyon Sek

(Bunker Hill, IN)

If you just stopped thinking for a while and sat back to

reflect on your own mind, you would be surprised to realize

that you are at peace. (, Dr.

Thynn Thynn, page 36)

Put yourself down as you read these words. Let them flow

naturally into your mind. Their truth will penetrate your

existence and saturate your soul. Right now, without ego,

we are at peace, not only are we at peace internally with

ourseles, but we are at peace with the enre unierse.

Thus, we are able to permit the natural order of all things to

carry on without interecng me, mine, and out onto

it.

Being always there, yet seldom being aware of its reality,peace of mind is a lot like a radio signal or a sound wae.

The old American koan, f a tree falls in the woods and

nothing is around to hear it, does it sll make a sound

makes me think of peace of mind. The answer is no. The

tree sends out a sound wae that has to bounce off of an

eardrum to produce sound. The energy is there but the

needs to be something tuned into it.

Radio waes are similar. Right now thousands of signals are

reaching out for a receier to be tuned into them. Find the

right frequency and you get music.

That peaceful mental state is likewise sending out its signal.

Always reaching out to us, it simply awaits our recognion.

e tune into the air around us by praccing mindful breath

ing. Through mindfulegoless obseraon, peace of mind

appears.

f peace of mind is always there, then its opposite is always

there as well, which one are you tuned into right now

hat path were your thoughts and emoons traeling down

before you read this arcle hich road will you choose

once you lay this newsleer aside and walk to chow

challenge you to put on the headphones of spiritual awareness eery day all day. challenge myself to do the same

thing daily as well. Just think about how much peace and oy

we hae already missed out on in our lies. Aer 3 years of

life and 16 years in prison know hae been walking

around with earplugs in and blinders on. No more will

dwell in the dark depths of a pissed off, angry, wae thrash

ing sea. Now will lie and walk the path of the sweet smell

ing, cool blowing breeze. ueson is how long unl my

feet start hurng


10/12

10

Somewhere

On the roof of an ancient building

Sits a stone gargoyle

How eny him!He is the ery epitome

Of steadfastness and equanimity

(Though fearsome in appearance,

know he is harmless.)

Come what may,

He remains unperturbed.

inter snows chill him,

Spring rains wet him,

Summer sun warms him,

Autumn winds blow around him,

Yet he keeps his seat.

No maer what,

He is not disturbed

Fire burns him,

Air buffets him,

ater washes him,

Yet he is as steadfast as the Earth

From which he is made.

But look again!

Perhaps he is not so steadfast aer all.

Like all things in this unierse,

Busy electrons whirl within him.

Like all things in this unierse,He is already crumbling, decaying, eroding,

Returning to the Earth from which he came.

Let me respecully remind you, r. argoyle,

Dont waste me!

All of us who are confined, especially those of us who

have put in some years, know something is seriously

wrong with this world we are living in. Everyone is forsome religion, but that isnt coming close to solving the

problems facing mankind. You have heat from the sun

thats geng to levels that have never been seen

before. Why? Our modern society with all our

advancements is the sole problem. You have people

starving in different parts of the world. Why? Mans

greed and mans selfishness.

Human beings are not human anymore. Only someone

who is truly mad or insane can show lile kids on

starving. hen you ask people to send in money. hen

when some people do send money to help, it is stolen. I

dont believe society is advanced like it claims to be.

You have human beings rong away in prisons

because they have been mis-educated by a system that

does not work. Prisoners are a byproduct of mis-

educaon imposed on them at an early age.

We who are grasping the teachings of the Buddha are

in line to become more aware of why things are the

way they are. Yes, karma, but dont be hard on yourself

for being confined. Just look within yourself. Follow the

teachings and come out that new man thats within

you, that hidden person who has the answers to world

problems.

ransformaon is awareness. You know why people

do what they do, because you have taken the me to

know yourself. Before you can help anyone, you have

to see the problem within yourself. Understand

yourself, then go out and really try to save this dying

planet from its destrucve course.

he Dhammapada is an ancient Buddhist text that

ancipated Freud by thousands of years. It says that

what you are now is the result of what you were. Whatyou will be tomorrow will be the result of what you are

now. he consequences of an evil mind will follow you

like the cart follows the ox that pulls it. he

consequences of a purified mind will follow you like

your own shadow. No one can do more for you than

your own purified mindno parent, no relave, no

friend, no one. A well-disciplined mind brings

happiness.

hats the soluon to the world problems.

MAGIC

Zachariah de la Torre

(Okeechobee, FL)

Some people would say that

there is no magic.

That we only live in the reality

of our senses.

I would say that these persons live in delusion.

Myriad delusions.

And all the while, myriad dharmas stare right at them.

WAKE UP!

If you dont believe in magic, please tell me how you

really got here


11/12

11

Natural InstinctsNatural InstinctsNatural InstinctsNatural Instincts

Willie E. Campbell, III (St. Gabriel, LA)

You are you, a unique individual. Only by walking, only by

living your life, will you find the Way. This is something of

great value. (From The Spiritual Path: Buddha, Zen, Tao,

Tantra, by Osho)

There are animals trained to serve humansdogs, certain

breeds of primates, cats, birdsand it is a most unique

relaonship at that. Figure that these creatures are sort of

tuned in to our (human) mental and emoonal energies,

our atudes and personalies. So much so that they are

able to, by insnct, grasp our most subtle ways of conduct

be it our tones of voice, bodily gestures, and amazingly,

they can pick up when certain elements about our nature

are about to change before the change occurs. Intriguing

phenomenon this is.

Humans too are able to intuit things about other humans.

Unfortunately, we dont oen take advantage of these

natural gis. Worst of all, we mysfy them and treat them

as something apart from our natural way of being, calling

these natural aspects of our character ESP. Then breaking

ESP down into its smallest parts, separang the parts into

smaller parts, treang them all as if they are something

outside of our natural makeup. The fact is that

clairvoyance, clairaudience, telekinesis, and other gis

are as natural to us as is blinking our eyes, or breathing.

One would think that since these are natural for our

construct as human beings, then we should have lile

trouble being much more in tune with one another, to the

point that we are fully capable of pung forth a much

more focused effort in recognizing when our fellow human

beings are notreceiving our compassionate best.

o our atudes affect non-human beings (viz plants and

animals)? What about inanimate objects like stones, soil,

water air, houses, vehicles, etc.? Simple answer Yes! to allof the above. es. And since we know that our atudes

affect inanimate objects, how much so do our atudes

have an impact on our fellow human brothers and sisters.

Think of it something is seriously wrong with us when we

are kinder, gentler, and more thoughul of plants and

animals than we are toward our fellow man minding how

we conduct ourselves in the presence of animals, but

caring less about our conduct in the presence of other

human beings. ot displaying any negave atudes so as

not to provoke dogs, cats, bears, moose, and snakes, yet

quick are we to find the most hurul, insulng, and

dehumanizing things to say, do, and feel toward other

humansfeeling jusfied in doing sounder the false

noon that such muck is for their own good.

Humanity connues to grow in our understanding of

compassion. One of the areas we are sort of uctuang in

is our understanding of the interconnectedness of all

beings. This is not an easy thing to realize with the depth of

a Buddha, Guru, Christ, or an Avatar. And, unlike the bears,

the alligators, tortoises, and cockroaches, even though we

are born with every insnct necessary for basic survival, as

our caretakers, friends, and life coaches get hold of our

minds, we change into something we later need to learn

that we are not and are not born to be. The struggle to

truly awaken to the god-sparks we are is a long and

arduous adventure that somehow has a way of introducing

us to what we look like when we are not at our human

best. Mainly, when that less-than-the-best part of us has

digressed into something horrendous, and unpleasing to

look upon with our own eyes. Insncvel, we just know

we are much beer than the way we choose to mistreat

others. Like the bears, the poodles, billy goats, andpigeons, were born just as we are made to be. Human

nature doesnt change, We change and twist in our minds

what nature unashamedly is.

Another (and most honorable) gi we are born with is

compassion. We are born blessed with love and trust for

others. With care and concern for the feelings of others.

With consideraon for the effects our thoughts, words, and

deeds can have on one another. There is always that

something inside of us that tells us when we are

conducng ourselves less than our human best toward

others and ourselves. There are no magical incantaons,spells, and no amount of prayer necessary to just stop,

look, listen, and feelbefore we think speak and act toward

others. A genuine love for our fellow man is encoded in the

universe abroad and the universe within our beings. Were

growing, and geng beer. I think were growing closer,

and geng closer to there. Our original nature.

Brotherhood. Universal Brotherhoodnot just as a concept

but a fact of life, living, and being. Peace, Love, and

Blessings.


12/12

12

quanimity

yuan

-

-

-

-

Winged horse, hear my prayers.

Mother Himalaya our homeland lays at your feet.

Lungta, travel far and wide for all ears,

Announce to all those who have ears to hear.

The boots are on our backs, whips that tear.

We are a people who know no violence or fear.

Oppressors hide behind a veil of peace and compassion.

Our blood stains their hands.

How can we have peace when genocide is in fashion?

sat on a corner last night and discussed polics with a

drunken derelict

And couldnt believe his answers to the worlds problems

actually made senseAre those who feel the pain the only ones to understand

its suffering?

A single mother pregnant once again must sell her body

and work dead-end jobs to support her kids

While her significant other sits in prison for trying to

illegally support his family

A soldier laying in a bunker, covered with natures

surroundings

ust commied murder with his military-issued high-

powered assault rifle

He did this without thinking or wondering why

ust following ordersSir, Yes Sir

When he comes home he wishes he didnt because of the

lack of state assistance

The messed up economy, these crazy dreams of death

The state refuses to help him, or help him help himself

He then becomes the drunken derelict was discussing

polics with who had all the answers

Found in homelessness, sorrow, and disturbed reality,

hopelessness, a bole and death

Could you believe his luck?

by The Convicted Poet (Myron Stebbins)e-mail: [email protected]

ConvictedPoet on YouTube

LUCK

TIBET

Documents

BCCN Newsletter, Vol 8, Issue 1