maybe jesus can save us from those buddhists
issue 92 ♡ to buddha is to be one with it all & to be exactly as you are in this exact moment of time
can jesus save me from those buddhists? victoria ratcliff, white lotus.
mama, what is buddhism? love bobo, age 5
dearest woo-tang clan,
this week’s newsletter tunes into buddhism. kindly note any reference to buddha, god or the heavenly like can be replaced with vernacular or a venerable which sits comfortably with you. in part I i share my burgeoning buddhist journey from my earth-bound perspective while part II is a transcription of notes from my higher woo-self and guides.
part I.
buddhism from a earth-bound lens
last weekend i was on a silent buddhist retreat wearing loose, breathable, modest (below the knee) clothing. you see, i’m a buddhist now—apparently. i even have a card to show it. i donated sixty-five bucks to join the buddhist society of western australia and received a card stating my name, membership number #4321 and “may all beings be happy and well”.
if only our drivers license said something along the lines of— “may we all drive in peace and abstain from non-violent and non-agressive a**hole behaviour” or gym membership cards stated, “may we all accept our physical bodies exactly as they are in this imperfectly perfect weight of being”.
so the word buddhist and buddhism has been floating around the house leading up to the silent retreat. our five year old is all like, “mama— what is buddhism?”. i shrugged— "i’m not sure (despite having grown up with chinese practices associated with buddhism) but i can ask” —and pointed upstairs. within the same zeitgeist, the series white lotus season 3 introduced a character portrayed by parker posey, who throws the word around with reckless southern abandon and boo-dhism is meme-ing in pop culture like theres no tomorrow (cos’ there isn’t—there is only the present moment).
on the second day of the retreat we were given an opportunity for anonymous Q&A with the monsastic ayya karunika conducting the meditation and dharma sessions. i wrote down on a scrap of paper— what is the best way to explain or express what buddhism is to children? and dropped it in the box. that evening ayya read out my question and declared— this is a good question. i beamed silently in my lotus pose. she continued—but let me contemplate this tonight and i’ll answer this tomorrow. even holy nuns need thinking time.
the following day in our final dharma discussion she answered the little guys question— buddhism is to be with peace and to be with kindness— to choose the path more peaceful and to act in kindness to yourself and others.
before you say or do something— ask yourself— is this harming myself? is this harming the other person? is this harming both of us? if so, then stop and move towards the non-harmful path of kindness and towards the path of peace.
part II.
buddhism from a woo-woo(tang) perspective
buddhism at its core is not so much a religion or reaction against christianity and judaism, rather it is the teachings from siddaharta the buddha and his/her/their way of being and peace for all beings on earth. however that peace only comes with total acceptance of what will be, will be and what comes, shall indeed come into your arms with grace and what you suffer and endure, you will suffer and endure.
the core of buddhism lies in the foundation that all creatures are created with love and intention from a greater and grander source and that all beings are here to serve dharma and suffer immeasurably. the acceptance of this so-called suffering will lead to a peace of mind and kindness emanating from the heart and that once you have suffered immeasurably, you will be free of those chains and chinks of societal suffering. you will serve god/ buddha /allah/all of the above by returning to nirvana— the higher realms of heaven or in sanskrit the higher heavens of the celestial beings and all that is— which is a longer, grander way of saying ‘the afterlife’.
the eastern tradition of believing or living by dharma or buddhist principles means that you shall not harm another living being in violent means and that you shall respect the earth/gaia we step upon and that we shall live in peace with her and all creatures on earth. this does not mean that we will not be imperfect while living out our incarnations, however the commitment to buddha reflects that we will do and try our best to choose the peaceful non-violent path, away from chaos and calamity, karma and catastrophe and cantankerous ways.
the buddha walked the earth as a disciple of god, the consciousness of all beings that ever lived and will live and many say the embodied jesus as well— that he walked the western dance of the western world before entering the earths crust to dalliance with the eastern esoteric. he walked the path of minimalism, asceticism and extreme suffering to understand the human experience, here on earth. he walked the plank to see what mutineers would do and he walked the desert to see what the earth would do to alleviate or aggravate his own suffering, only to surface out of sheer agony and anguish as a joyful, happy, laughing buddha.
at the end of the rainbow, pure joy and love and laughter reigns and it is the true gifts of life here, on our very precious and precocious earth.
to buddha is to be one with it all and to be exactly as you are, in this exact moment of time— to accept and embrace yourself as a the divine drop of consciousness dropped into physical form to inhabit lives of dharma to overcome karma and to cultivate love, peace and unity amongst your fellow human and earth bound creatures great and small. it all sounds easier said than done, however we can and will proceed to follow in the footsteps of buddha and the great wisdom of his/her/their teachings, so that we can and will have a chance for survival and thrive beyond what we can even imagine.
buddhism is merely a vehicle you can ride while in the roller coaster of life. it supports you, holds you when you fall and lifts you when you love and laughter reigns, buddhism is merely the coach in the game of life, who provides tactics and taciturn when you pass and throw.
buddhism is the one who not so much yells but whispers from the sidelines and gives you guard rails and boundaries to play within, so that you have every chance to not so much win but know how to lose. how to let go of everything you think you ever knew and were told and to rest in the comfort and safety of faith and compassion— that the world, the universe, god/source and buddha will hold you as you let go of the need to ever be right, the need to be strong or the incessant want to be rich or poor, or tall or smaller.
buddhism is the scaffolding you build while you journey here on earth offering whispers of wisdom at every twist and turn.
you can be the best damn buddhist in china or the world or you could be nothing at all. it’s your call and there is no judgement of how you fall or call or catch or drop the ball.
buddhism will not force its way onto anyone who seeks it, it will emanate and emit onto any soul who permits it. it is a lightness, an energetic beam, a code which finds its way into your heart and being-ness when you allow it. there is no need to declare it or announce it or to join a society or club— as we are all already within the embrace of the bountiful buddha.
amen. namaste.
love woo-tang xx
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