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