Live Long . . . Live Well

Enjoy your resveratrol . . . Cheers

Every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of my age and there isn’t much that I can do about it.  Nevertheless I want to live long and live well (healthy).  I have three boys that I want to see grow and have families of their own.  Selfish maybe, but that’s what I want. 

I was catching up on my reading this week and read an interesting paper, Dietary lipophilic antioxidants: Implications and significance in the aging process,  by Chong-Han[1].  In his paper he reviews the critical role of dietary antioxidants and suggests that coenzyme Q10, flavonoids, resveratrol, and Vitamin E all show promise in extending human life.

To review, antioxidants are substances that reduce oxidative damage in cells caused by free radicals. You know how iron rusts and that rust weakness iron structures.  That is an example of oxidation.  The same thing happens to us when free radicals produced when our bodies break down food or environmental toxins like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals are responsible for aging, tissue damage, and diseases like heart disease and cancer.  If you want to live long and live well then control the antioxidants in your body.  

Coenzyme Q10 (aka CoQ10) is the only known antioxidant that is synthesized by the body. CoQ10 reduces oxidative damage thus lowering cardiovascular risk and inflammation and consequently extending life . It also prevents photo-aging of the skin and may offer protection caused by simvastatin therapy[2]. Q10 is the primary physical attribute found in longer-living mammalian species, including human beings.  CoQ10 is found in fish and the germs of whole grains, like wheat germ.  I don't eat enough of either one so I take a CoQ10 supplement every day.  

Flavonoids are the most common group of polyphenolic compounds in the human diet and are found mostly in plants.  Eat a pretty (colorful) diet to get a good supply of flavonoids.  Another good source is green tea.   Green tea supplementation has been found to protect against oxidative stress and can increase antioxidant ability in rat brain. The green tea catechin prevents damage in aging mouse brain and liver damage in rats caused by aging and ethanol. Another flavonoid, anthocyanins, has also shown protection against vascular disease.  The best sources of flavoring include  berries (organic cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and cranberries are my favorites), green tea, and virtually all fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices. 

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in grapes, red wine, purple grape juice, peanuts, and some berries. The "French Paradox[3]" and from controlled studies point to its effectiveness in extending life[4]. Resveratrol has also been associated with improved bone density, motor coordination, cardiovascular function, delaying cataracts and retarding aging. On a personal note my wife has a healthy, 98-year-old relative in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who claims that his good health is due to a glass a day of red wine.

Vitamin E is one of the most widely researched antioxidants.  Like vitamin A, it has been shown to extend life in mice when initiated in early years. Vitamin E may protect older healthy individuals against atherogenesis, the formation of thick plaque of cholesterol and other lipids in arterial walls, improve relearning ability, and reduce cancer formation.  In addition to supplementation, organic sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, spinach, papaya, swiss chard, mustard greens.

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[1] Chong-Han, K. (2010). Dietary lipophilic antioxidants: Implications and significance in the aging process. Critical Reviews in Food and Nutrition, 50, 931-937.

[2] Simvastatin (INN)  is a hypolipidemic drug used to control elevated cholesterol. It is a member of the statin class of pharmaceuticals. Simvastatin is a synthetic derivative of a fermentation product of Aspergillus terreus. The drug is marketed generically following the patent expiration, and under the trade name Zocor.

[3] The French paradox refers to the fact that although the French consume three times as much saturated fat as Americans, one-third less French people die from heart attacks and obesity than American people.

[4]  Liu, BL; Zhang, X; Zhang, W; Zhen, HN (December 2007). "New enlightenment of French Paradox: resveratrol's potential for cancer chemoprevention and anti-cancer therapy.". Cancer biology & therapy 6 (12): 1833–6. doi:10.4161/cbt.6.12.5161.PMID 18087218.

You are a Magician

Set aside all your ideas about magic and magician for a few minutes and stick with me.  Ok?

Magic is nothing more than the ability to cause change to occur in conformity with your will. Nothing more.  Nothing less.  The problem is that most of us don't recognize that and don't understand that everything that we think and say has power (power like electric power), it has a charge, either positive or negative, and that charge affects us.  When we don't control our thoughts and go through life reacting to what happens around us we lose control of our magic.  

I invite you to try an experiment for the next two months and see what happens between now and January 1, 2015.  I invite you to consciously choose what you are going to accept or reject.  If you want to invite positive into your life then every time you have a thought or want to say something stop and for a split second consciously say to yourself (out loud if you can) "I accept this thought." or "I reject this thought."  If you don't want negative in your life then reject negative thoughts and words.  Do this over and over for the next two months and your magic filter will start to become automatic.

Every thought that you have

Is a prayer.

Every word that you say

Is a spell.

Practice your magic, exercise your power.

Rev. Dave

  

More Art In Nature

We went for a walk in the forest again today along a path that is slowly being decorated by some unknown art/nature lover.  We affectionately call her/him the "Path Faerie".  Sometimes we stop with our children to add to the art in nature.  Today, however, we just took a few pictures of the new art. Hope that you enjoy:

And last weekend while hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains I decided to build a small stone circle with river rocks surrounding a small, fist sized rock that I had found.  I placed it about five feel off the trail so that only those who are paying attention to nature will find it.  Hope someone enjoys it on their hike.

The world is beautiful, love it, enjoy it, care for it.

Dr. Dave/Rev. Ravenclaw

Immune System Support

The seasonal change from summer to fall brings out the beauty of nature with yellow, orange and golden leaves.  However it often seem to bring colds and sniffles as well.  In addition, every fall when I return to my classroom at the university I visit classrooms full of new faces that bring new bacteria and viruses with them.  Catching a cold in the fall seemed to have become an occupational hazard, that is until I started to use food for medicine and included a variety of immune enhancing herbs in my diet.  Here is a short list of my favorites.

Uña de Gato or Cat's Claw

Astragalus – An herb from China that stimulates the immune system and aids in digestion and adrenal gland functions and also is a diuretic. The effectiveness of this herb is due to polysaccharides, saponins and flavonoids. I use this herb to fight the common cold and flu and usually start taking it daily about a month before classes start in the fall. Its digestive health benefits demonstrate the lowering of stomach acidity, resulting to an increase in the body's metabolic rates and the promotion of waste elimination.

Bell peppers- Unlike other hotter peppers this variety does not contain capsaicin.  Instead it contains carotenoid lycopene which lowers the risk of cancer; beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A; and Zeaxanthin, which is known to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.  Of course it also adds a crunch touch to your salads and is wonderful in sautéed dishes, and is good for you at the same time

Echinacea - Echinacea is probably the most well known of the immune system enhancing herbs. I combine Echinacea with Goldenseal in herbal tea to prevent and and treat upper respiratory tract infections as well as the common cold.  Leave Goldenseal out of your tea if you have high blood pressure.

Reishi Mushrooms (Ganoderma) - This is a bitter mushroom has long been a popular herb in Chinese medicine and is claimed to enhance longevity and health. Studies have shown that that it strengthens immunity and combats cancer. In addition, it has antioxidant properties and provides relief from urinary tract infections.  (Juniper Berries are my favorite herb for UTI).

Garlic -  Who doesn’t love garlic?  Think sauteed dishes, pasta and garlic bread, and it does more than keep the vampires away.  A recent study conducted by Dr. Ellen Tattelman, an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, reconfirmed that garlic has cardiovascular, anti-microbial and antineoplastic properties.

Ginseng - The most commonly studied variety of Ginseng is Korean ginseng or Panax ginseng. The main active component, ginsenosides, has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Clinical studies have demonstrated that it may improve immune and psychological functions as well as conditions related to diabetes.

Turmeric – I love the color of Turmeric and add frequently add it to sautéed vegetables, especially yellow squash or zucchini.  This spice contains curcumin, which has notable antioxidant properties and it is a simple and highly effective way to thwart cancer and protect your liver against disease.  Turmeric stimulates the flow of bile and thus helps with digestive problems.  It also has antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties and reduces inflammation by stimulating the adrenal glands to increase the level of the hormone the lessens inflammation.

Uña de Gato or Cat's Claw - This herb from Peru is my number one go to herb for immune system support.  Although it has traditionally been used in Peru to treat stomach problems it has recently developed a reputation as an exceptional immune response stimulator that helps the body to fight off infections and degenerative diseases. It contains oxindole alkaloids that enhance the immune system's capacity to engulf and destroy pathogens.

Hippocrates 

As Hippocrates said almost 2,500 years ago,  “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Live in peace and health . . . Dr. Dave, N.D.

My Time

My days, like yours I'm sure, are full of activities.  I look forward every day to my quite time. Sometimes its when I stand in front of the kitchen sink and wash dishes; after all no one wants to help dad with the dishes, so I stand there alone . . . well not really alone, its one of my Christ-with-me times.  

Thinking of this reminded me of a poem, "A Marvelous Hour" by the Breton poet Anjela Duval (1905-1981).  Here it is:

The day is now over.

The hour's come I was waiting for.

After labour so material,

How sweet a spiritual hour.

I'm bathed here in tranquillity.

I hear no sound around me.

But the sound of the pendulum,

Counting out the drops of time.

The hour of prayer, hour of study.

Hour of dreaming, of fantasy,

Hour divine, full of ecstasy.

In this hour there's so much happiness!

Only one thing's missing to perfect it:

--In the hearth the singing of a cricket! . . . 

I hope that you are able to find your daily marvelous hour.

May God hold you in the palm of His hand,

Bro. Dave

Nature as Art and Art in Nature

My wife, Heidi, and I decided to take a walk in the forest this morning.  Not a fitness walk, just a nice slow walk to enjoy being in nature on an early fall morning.  I feel most pagan in the fall and this is by far my favorite time of year.  The spirits seem closer to me at this time, don't know why, they just do.

Along the path we discovered that someone had been there before us and had constructed many small altars; at least that's what we thought that they were.  We didn't have a "real" camera with us so we took cell phone photos to share with you.  No more writing, just some pictures of what we found.

There were more delightful creations along the path so next time I'll take a real camera and take more photos to share with you.

Oh we started a forest altar as well and hope that others will add to it.  Keep you posted.

Peace,

Dave

Finding Peace

Everyone wants to be happy, or so it seems, but the world isn’t a very happy place.  Buddhism isn’t a path that leads to happiness so if that is what you are looking for, look somewhere else.  Siddhartha wasn’t looking for happiness, he was looking for peace, and peace is what he eventually found.  His path, and that path that I follow, leads to freedom from suffering, freedom from delusion, freedom from confusion and ultimately to peace.

So you ask, how do find freedom from suffering, from delusion, and from confusion?  While there are many facets on the diamond fashioned by Siddhartha the two that have most helped me find peace are impermanence and nonattachment.  The principle of impermanence teaches us that everything that is made in impermanent.  For example, the house that I live in what build in 1958 and the roof, which needs to be replaced, reminds that the house is impermanent.  I look at my face in the mirror and I don’t see my father, the last time that I lived with him he was in his mid-forties, an age that I have long since seen come and go.  No, when I look in the mirror I see the face of my aging grandfather, the face that I remember from my college days.  Yes, I too am impermanent.

Impermanence gives rise to the second principle, that of nonattachment.  Attachment leads to clinging and clinging eventually leads to sadness.  Were I attached to the body that I had when I was 21 and had I tried to cling to it tenaciously for the past 40 years I would be very sad today because it is gone.  Nonattachment lets us accept change with grace.  Some of my dearest friends have died and I remember them frequently with fondness, however I’m not attached their physical forms or their voices on the telephone and so with grace I have given them the freedom to pass on.

Nonattachment has also helped me learn to live in the moment.  The Buddha was once asked by the leader of another sect what it was that made Buddhism so special.  The speaker said something like, “We eat, wash dishes, walk and shit just like you do.” to which the Buddha responded, “True, but when we eat we eat, when we wash the dishes we wash the dishes, when we walk we walk, and when we shit we shit.” 

How often do you see some walk out for a “walk” being walked by the dog while they carry on a very one sided conversation on their cell phone.  I often wonder if the person on the other end of the conversation is also engaged in a monolog and that both people are talking while no one is listening.  The point is that the person is not taking the dog for a walk, walking or engaged in a conversation.  Multitasking, no matter how much you argue to the contrary is impossible.  Our brains are not wired to multitask, to do many things at the same time.  When we try to do it our attention must jump from one activity to another in rapid succession and as a result our performance in all the areas is sub-optimal.

So my challenge for you today is to recognize (Not “wreckanize” . . . the “cog” part in that word has to do with cognition so please don’t leave it out.) the impermanence of all things and then to practice nonattachment by being present in the moment with whatever you do.  I would love to hear from you if you would like to share your experience.

Peace,

Keisho Ananda, Bhikkhu

Letting Go

I just finished my morning round of QiGong and I was a little upset with myself because it took me one complete round (about 15 minutes) for my monkey mind to settle down.  Once that happened I forgave myself and started over.  But now as I sit here I wonder how often we are human beings and how much of the time we forget to just be and thus are human doings.  So, stop right now and ask yourself, “Self, am I am human being or a human doing right now?”

Well, what are you?

There are a number of stories about Pavlov’s last words.  By some accounts he said, “Help me, I must get dressed.”  I guess that being appropriately dressed for death could be important to some.  My favorite story however is that Pavlov was confined to his bed in February, 1936 in Leningrad.  A cold place by all accounts.  One of his students is reported to have gone outside and brought in a plate of snow.  Pavlov watched the snow as it slowed melted, said, “Now I understand how it is.” and died.  To me he watched the snow as it effortlessly let go of its form and went trough a state change to water, and then he did the same.

There are times when we need to let go, to quit being humans doing things and just be humans being humans.  Sometimes we need to be like the melting snow.

Peace,

Dr. Dave / Keisho Ananda, Bikkhu

Hongaku Jodo of Central Virginia

What do you do when . . . ?

I have been thinking a lot lately about impermanence, one of the most fundamental Buddhist concepts.  The precept reminds us that nothing is constant and that everything changes.  Sometimes events remind us that we, everyone we care about, and the things that are important to us are impermanent.  What do you do when that happens?

                For example a friend recently lost his father.  They had been close, but not always. In fact their closeness was just starting to bud after years of alienation.  What do you when you get the phone call from your friend and he says, between sobs, “My father just died.”  I’m a problem solver.  When I was in high school the neighborhood kids use to bring me their broken bicycles to repair when their fathers had given up.  My career is a problem solving career.  I solve problems. That's what I'm good at.  In this case however there was nothing for me to fix.  My mind was racing, what do I do?  Being present with compassion was the only thing I could find.  It didn’t solve the “problem” but I was fully there.

                My oldest son, a high school student, came to me with a concerned look on his face.  “Dad”, he said, “I have three exams tomorrow and a term paper that is due.”  No question, just a comment.  Immediately the problem solver inside of me jumped into action.  “Well, let’s put a study schedule together.  What do you want me to quiz you on tonight?” I replied.  To my surprise and embarrassment he said, “Dad, I don’t need to you do anything.  I just need you to say, ‘Wow, that’s a lot for tomorrow.’.”   He didn’t need my organization and problem solving skills.  He needed me to be compassionate and present.  Sometimes it seems that is all that we need to do when the question arises, “What do you do when . . . ?”

                I am learning that but I'm a slow learner and it has taken me a long time.  I hope you too will take time, when events remind you of impermanence, and learn to quietly respond to others with compassion and presence.  Sometime problems don’t need to be solved because they aren’t problems.  There are just events and loving kindness (compassion and presence) are all that can be offered and really all that is needed.

Peace my friends,

Dr. Dave / Keisho Ananda

Petrified Wood -- Past Life Remembrance Helper

If you read my post “The Best Shamanic Journey Ever”  you know that I seem to have a special connection to petrified wood.  I started collecting rocks in Colorado when I was about six years old.  I’ll be 62 in a couple of weeks and I have never stopped appreciating and collecting rocks.  As the years have gone my focus has expanded.  When I started collecting rocks I was a six-year old fascinated by their colors and shapes.  A few years later I started reading geology books and my focus expanded from just appreciating their beauty to also being captivated by the history of the earth told in rocks.  While studying for my ND degree I started to understand vibrational medicine and the healing power (yes, its true) of rocks and minerals.  Finally, as practitioner of core shamanism I appreciate, thank and work with the spirits of rocks and minerals.

One of my favorite Petrified Wood helpers collected in North Dakota

Petrified wood is one of my favorites and the first rock that I remember finding.  Petrified wood, in its previous life, was a primeval tree.  Because its original roots were deep in the earth while its branches reached to the sky.  When the tree fell it was interned deep in the earth, so deep that aerobic bacteria could not cause its decomposition and the organic matter that made up the tree, under the effect of silicic acid, was gradually replaced with SiO₂, the fancy name for quartz.  Other elements, typically iron and carbon, give it color.  This tree that had become a rock was eventually uncovered by erosion and earth movements until once again it saw the light of day; a wonderful journey of reincarnation.

Petrified wood is usually associated with the heart chakra but I feel that it also exerts significant influence on the root chakra.  Petrified wood began as a living tree, rooted to earth, and then was buried deep within the earth.  Petrified wood knows what it means to be rooted and can help us root or ground.

I use petrified wood to help other and myself journey to past lives.  Hold on to petrified wood when you enjoy a past-life regression session or a past-life shamanic journey.  Petrified wood lived before as a tree and is alive today as a rock.  It remembers what it is like to have a past life and can help you do the same.

Although you can purchase petrified wood online I think that it is best to find your own.  There are a number of states with large petrified wood deposits including Arizona, Mississippi, North Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming State.   If you go looking for a petrified wood helper in areas where it is common be attentive to the stone that calls to you.  Of course, get permission if you go hunting for a helper on private property and please don't collect in National Parks.

Energy: A Shamanic View

From the shamanic point of view everything has energy, in fact, it would be fair to say that we are all whirling fields of energy.  You and I are energetic beings, so are our friends and neighbors, and the trees and flowers that I am anxiously waiting to see bud after the snow storm this weekend.  The desk that I am sitting at is also made of energy. 

This means that our energy fields interact with all the energy fields around us.  Have you ever thought that we are swimming through an ocean of energy?  Just think about all of the radio waves that we "swim" through.  Your radio picks up one radio station because that is the frequency that it is tuned to but there are thousands of other frequencies in the air all bombarding us with their energy.

As humans we like to put things into little boxes and categorize them.  This goes here, that goes there.  Maybe it is part of the dualistic view of the world that most seem to have. However, energy is not good or bad, it is just energy.  The way that energy is used, the way that it is directed causes energy to have good or bad effects.  You are probably walked into a room and sensed the energy that had infused the space. The energy may have felt good and uplifting, or it might have felt heavy and depressing.  Learn to sense the energy around you.

What happens when water gets backed up and and no longer flows?  You have probably seen stagnant, putrid, smelly water.  The same thing happens with energy.  When energy is blocked it begins to stagnate.  One of the reasons that I do QiGong every morning after greeting Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Intitayta (Father Sky) is to make sure that my energy is flowing.

To stay in tune with nature, our environment and the universe it is important to monitor our energy and our energetic relationships.  One of the easiest ways to stay centered and not to be influenced by the energy around us to stretch, take a deep breath, and smile.  This is a wonderfully simple way to stay grounded.  I always keep a couple of black tourmaline crystals in my pocket to absorb negative energy (I think that I need to write a blog about Black Tourmaline) and wear a clear quartz crystal over by heart chakra to protect it.  I also have a small gong bowl in my office that I ring every day when I enter and several times during the day to break up and stagnant energy and cause it to reform.

I'll write more about energy in my next blog.  I have gotten over the "shock" of the semester starting and have all of my classes under control so I'll be blogging more frequently again.  Thanks for reading, your presence sends me positive energy and I thank you.

Why the Sky is Blue and Other Ruminations

About a year ago my then eight-year-old philosopher son asked me why the sky was blue.  I thought to myself, “What a wonderful teaching opportunity, time for some physics.” so I explained that light has different wave lengths and that our eyes pick up the blue light better than other colors.  Not a good explanation because he repeated his question, “But why?”.  So I told to myself, “Well this kid is bright, he needs a more complete explanation.” so I proceeded to explain the Rayleigh scattering model that shows that the intensity of scattered light varies inversely with the fourth power of its wavelength and that blue and violet, because they have shorter wave lengths, scatter more than red light at the other end of the spectrum.  I thought that it was a pretty good answer.  He didn’t.

“But dad, tell me why the sky is blue.”  So I responded once again, well it’s not really blue.  It’s just that the cones, all five million of them, are sensitive to different colors but that their color sensitivity overlaps so they are more sensitive to some colors like blue than to others, like violet.  It became evident that I wasn’t getting anywhere because he repeated his question yet again.  I decided to try another approach.  This time I responded by telling him, “Well son, the real reason that the sky is blue is because that is the Goddess’ favorite color.”  and he replied, “Thanks dad, I knew you would know why.”

I was really proud of my young philosopher because he never gave up, he kept asking why.  All too often our desire to question gets socialized out of us and we quit asking why questions and then we quit thinking and just become receptive sponges that accept whatever comes along; always jumping from one idea or belief to another.

Kesariya Stupa where The Buddha gave the Kalamas Sutta

This reminds me of The Buddha and the Kalamas.  The Kalamas were a lot like us.  They had a variety of spiritual teachers and each one was probably saying, “I know the way. My way is the right way and everyone else is wrong.  Follow me, not them.”  The Buddha wandered into this mess and was asked by the Kalamas what they should do.  To everyone’s surprise he didn’t respond by telling them, “I’m right, they are wrong, follow me.”  His reply is recorded as the Kalamas Sutta.  In his first reply to the Kalamas he said:

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, ‘This contemplative is our teacher.’ When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to harm and to suffering’ — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.”  [Emphasis mine]

After providing a list of reasons for not blindly accepting a teaching he explains that if the results of the teaching, when put into practice, are negative then abandon them.  That path is not good.  He then repeated the same short list of “why not” reasons and then explained how to tell if a path is a good path:

"Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness' — then you should enter and remain in them.”  [Emphasis mine]

He told the Kalamas to test a path, try it out and see what results from following the path.  If the results are good, lead to welfare and happiness, then enter the path and stay on the path.

I have tested my path and found, that for me at least, it leads to welfare and happiness.  I feel spiritually alive on this path and feel that by following the path I am a better person.  To learn this I have had to assiduously avoid the academic track of just seeking knowledge. After all I’m good at that. I've been a college professor for thirty years and that’s what I do.  However, on a spiritual path knowledge isn't enough.  I need experience, and I bet you do too.

To test the path that I follow I had to actually get on the path and walk it.  Academic knowledge about the path didn't show me that it was a path that leads to welfare and to happiness.  Living it did.  It doesn't matter if you call yourself an Atheist, a Buddhist, a Christian, a Hindu, a Jew, a Muslim, a Pagan, a Wiccan, learning about your path isn't the key.  Living your path is.

So, what’s my point in all of this?  First, question everything.  Don’t follow blindly.  I climbed Huyana Potosi in Bolivia once and there isn't anything more uninspiring than walking behind someone and looking at their butt for hours as you and they struggle up a mountain . . . that’s what happens to followers.  Second, to see if you path leads to welfare and happiness you must live your path.  There isn't any other way.

Huyana Potosi from the Bolivian Altiplano

Hope to see you along the path.

Peace,

Just Walk On By . . . There is Nothing to See Here

His Holiness the Dalai Lama refers to compassion as the supreme emotion. In Tibetan the ability to show compassion or to empathize with another is shen dug ngal wa la mi sö pa, or “the inability to bear the sight of another’s suffering”. How many of us have developed that inability, or on the other hand have taken Dionne Warwick’s advice from her 1964 hit song, Walk on By, and just do as the song says and walk on by.

You know the stories as well as I do, they don’t make the short-term, attention grabbing news cycle on MSM but we see them on the fund-raising info commercials every night . . . children starving in (name your favorite continent), homeless walking the streets of (pick a city), violence against (name a group) in (just about anywhere in the world). Fifty five years ago my mother use to tell me “. . . eat your peas, there are children starving in Africa that would love to eat your peas.” The problems haven’t gone away, probably because we just walk on by.

When I think about how big the problems are and how little I am I feel overwhelmed and insignificant and it’s easy to walk on by. What can I do to show compassion to this big, beautiful, suffering world? Some of you, like me, are products of the 60s and we remember the phrase, “Think globally, act locally”. That has become my way to dealing with the too-big-to-handle social issues. I can’t solve world hunger, but I can help alleviate where I live. I can’t stop violence across the globe but I can mediate for peace wherever I am . In short I can develop the inability to bear the sight of another’s suffering where I am and do something about it here and now, one day at a time. When that seems too hard then I give a listen to John Lennon singing Imagine or even better Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole singing Somewhere Over a Rainbow. Both songs give me a kick in the pants, change my mind set and get me back on path. Find something that moves you too and get to work.

Try a Little Feel Good

The winter storm that hit the East Coast this week just about missed Central Virginia.  The Blue Ridge Mountains moved most of the snow to the Northeast and we only had a light dusting, about half an inch, of snow. However, its cold.  Schools were delayed two hours this morning and so many parents, like me, decided that it was too cold (17 degrees) to send kids out to the bus stop and drove them to school this morning.

I planned my route so that I could make a right turn into the school parking lot.  Unfortunately about 30 other parents, who had not planned as well, were stuck in line waiting to make a left turn across traffic to get into the parking lot.  I watched their faces and saw looks of frustration, sadness and anger as the cars in the right-turn lane kept turning into the parking lot oblivious to the plight (I hope) or callously uncaring (more likely) of the plight of the drivers waiting to turn left.

Every ten cars or so a driver in my right-turn lane would slow down and wave a car from the left-turn lane into the parking lot.  I enjoyed seeing the look of relief and gratitude on the face a driver who finally got to enter the parking lot.   I began to reflect on what was happening.

The drivers in the right-turn lane may have been extremely important people (at least in their own minds) so they had to turn first,  been very busy (but probably no more so than the other drivers) so the 3 second delay in turning would have put them way behind schedule, or had fallen into the dualistic trap of thinking me, me, me . . . me first!  When we take a dualistic point of view we isolate ourselves from others.  We become the center of our little universe and everyone else is outside.

As a practitioner of shamanism or someone who is interested in it I hope that you take time every day to view the world from a point of view of oneness.  Realize that we are all one and that what happens to one of us, even its its just being stuck in a line of cars waiting to turn left, happens to all us.  When you take that point of view something marvelous happens.  You become kinder and gentler.  You become one of those people who act out of kindness not me-ness, others feel better and it feels good inside.  You feel better too.

Make the world a little bit better today and try a little oneness, it will feel good.

Peace,

Dr. Dave

Buddhism and Shamanism

Who is The Buddha?  Are YOU The Buddha?

In addition to being a shamanic practitioner I am also ordained as a Buddhist Samana in the Hongaku Jodo Compassionate Lotus tradition.  The word “shaman” is generally believed to have originated from the Evenk language (Tungusic) of North Asia.   I think (and because I’m not a linguist I just 'think" because I don't know) that they may have gotten the world from India via China.  After all “sramana” (श्रमण) is a Sanskrit work and “Samana” (समण ) is a Pali word; and both words mean “one who strives” although it is also taken by some to mean, “one who knows”.

There are some surprising parallels between shamanism and Buddhism.  For example, when compared to the “Book” religions, Buddhism and shamanism have a surprising lack of formal doctrines.  In addition, the Buddha avoided speculations about the existence of deity.  His dying words are reported to have been, "Be a lamp unto yourselves." or in other words, be your own light, your own authority, your own Buddha.  A common Zen Koan attributed to Linji is, “If you meet the Buddha, kill him.”  Zen master Shunryu Suzuki wrote in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, “Kill the Buddha if the Buddha exists somewhere else. Kill the Buddha, because you should resume your own Buddha nature.  One is only able to see a Buddha as he exists in separation from Buddha, the mind of the practitioner is thus still holding onto apparent duality.”

Apparent duality means separation.  I am me, and you are you, and we are both separate.  Both shamanic practitioners and Buddhists see the inherent oneness in all things.  You are and I are not separate.  To quote the Beatles in The Walrus, “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.”  In addition to oneness, Buddhist and shamanic practitioners share some other common views.

The attitude of non-duality gives both traditions a deep sense of intimacy with the natural world.  My training by Andean shamans gave me an understand and respect for the spirits of the natural world.  When The Buddha attained his enlightenment he was challenged by demons who questioned, “You have no right to the seat of enlightenment.  Who bears witness to your right?”  The Buddha touched the ground with his finger  and Earth thundered back, “I bear witness!”

When I want to take a shamanic journey I enter the earth.  When a monk asked Master Gensha where to enter Zen the Master responded with a question, “Can you hear the babbling brook?”.  The monk replied, “Yes.” and Master Gensha told him, “Then enter there.”

As a Buddhist when I meditate I close off the outside world and enter an inner world, or in Zen terminology, to take a step backwards. Meditation is not an end unto itself.  Rather it is a way of training the mind to avoid needless attachment, to free my mind from distractions, and to just be.  Way too often I am a human doing not a human being.  Meditation gives me a chance to just be.  Listening to the drum in a shamanic journey also frees my mind from other external and internal distractions so that I can just be in an alternate reality.

Many Buddhist, including Zen and Tibetan, take the bodhisattva vow, a vow to postpone personal liberation to help others achieve enlightenment.  Essentially it means that I vow not to enter nirvana until we can all enter together.  Traditional shamans live in a tribal setting and their role is to serve their tribe or community.  Shamanic practitioners live outside this close tribal setting but I see the world as my “tribe” and my role is one of service (one of the reasons I left a promising career in public accounting to become an academic, and why I have abandoned my academic career several times to accept roles in development projects in lesser-developed countries in places most people would not go on vacation).  Service to others is everything. 

It doesn't really matter where you serve.  I doesn't matter if you serve your family, your community or the world.  What matters is that you serve others.  Think globally, act locally and find ways to serve in whatever path you follow to be of service to others.  Here are some questions to meditate on today:

1.     What path do I follow?

2.     How can I best describe it?

3.     Why do I follow it?  (Because my parents did the same is probably not a very good answer.)

4.     How can I be of service to others as I walk my path?

Peace,

Dr. Dave / Keisho Ananda