A Buddhist Earth Day Message.

Buddha's foundational teaching of interconnection and interdependence, or co-arising demands that we live in balance with the environment. If we are just as apart of a towering tree as it's leaves, then to recklessly destroy our forests, rivers and oceans is to slowly but exponentially kill apart of ourselves.

The Buddha's teaching on walking the middle ground between extremes of over-consumption and austerity fits perfectly into the modern, environmental practice of living in balance with nature. It's what we speak of today as "sustainability" or living within our means. It's not necessary to live like a cave man to be an environmentalist in the Buddhist sense, as that would be living out of balance in austerity. It's structuring our lives, so that when we utilize nature's resources, we do it in a balanced and sustainable way.

This "one or the other" thinking that exists in the environmentalist debate today is a less skillful approach. We don't have to choose between environmental sustainability and destructive over-consumption. The environment uses our byproducts of exhaled carbon dioxide to live, and our body waste (or that of animals) as fertilizer, so it's a symbiotic relationship of give and take. The problem comes, of course, when we take much more than is given and the entire ecosystem is throw out of balance, endangering all.

Another modern day environmental tenet is recycling, which, again fits snugly within the Dharma. Buddha's robes (and those of his fellow monks) where said to be fashioned from scraps of cloth found discarded and donated by generous families. They would even use scraps from the clothes of dead people donated by grieving families!! How many of us wear second-hand clothes made from discarded fabric?!! However, we don't have to adorn ourselves in tattered cloth in order to leave a soft footprint on the environment. It's a matter of repairing garments that are otherwise perfectly wearable, rather than throwing them in the trash.

Buddha also didn't have a fancy, extensive wardrobe to choose from, but rather only what was necessary. For us, today, that means buying less clothes than we need, which is not only in keeping with the middle path, but also the Buddhist ideal of balanced consumption. It also means donating old clothes, instead of throwing them in the garbage. And less garbage means a less polluted environment; thus, a healthier place to live.

In wrapping up the post, I want to come full circle back to interconnection. As Buddhists, we believe that all sentient beings are reborn upon death. Therefore, we should feel a strong commitment to leave a better world for those beings. To paraphrase a famous quote, the environment is on loan to us from future generations. Let's not ruin it for them--and us. Happy Earth Day everyone!!

~Peace to all beings~

The Power of Tea.

Green spring day
Warm tea
Taste of Nirvana

-by They Call Him James Ure

That's my first haiku, does it fit the definition?

Did you know that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world? Second only to life sustaining water and has long been connected with Buddhism, especially within Zen Buddhism with the Japanese tea ceremony.

There is so much symbolism and lessons to be learned with tea. The Way of Tea is expressed in four Japanese characters: Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility. These are all aspects of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I mean no disrespect to the beautiful Japanese tea ceremony by not going into the honored details of the ceremony in-depth but I am not familiar enough with them to attempt to describe them in the manner they deserve. So instead, I would like to discuss my interpretations of these words from my own understanding.

The first character, harmony reminds me of the Buddhist teaching on interconnection/inter-being. We would not be able to enjoy tea without the sun and water/rain that helped grow the tea, nor without the human hands that cultivated and harvested the leaves.

In addition, without rich soil there would be no tea and then with fitting reunion, the water is returned to the plant in a hot form to steep and release the tea into our cups. The web of factors that enable us to enjoy our tea is endless.

For me, respect in regards to tea means honoring the plant for honoring my body with it's essence and health giving properties.

Purity makes me think of the clean water used to release the pure, natural chemicals within the tea. As well as feeling like the health-giving liquid is purifying my body with each sip. In addition, thinking of purity while drinking tea reminds me of the purifying nature of drinking in the Dharma which purifies the mind.

Tranquility. Savoring tea and the warmth of the cup enables great relaxation especially when done in quietude. Tea has long been known for its ability to relieve stress, relax the body/muscles and help induce peacefulness. Sipping tea in silence helps bring about greater tranquility and can be a type of meditation itself. Speaking of meditation, drinking tea is often a lovely way of reflecting after a formal meditation.

When we talk or listen to the mindless drone of the television while imbibing tea we often miss the full tranquility that those moments of drinking tea offer us. That being said, drinking tea under many circumstance can bring plenty of benefits as well. In keeping with this idea of tranquility, I discovered a lovely tea which has the relaxing ingredients of honey, vanilla and chamomile within it.

I discovered this delicious tea the other day while at my therapy appointment. My Psychologist always offers me either tea or water before settling into the session. This particular tea that she recommended that day is called honey vanilla chamomile and it's one of the most flavorful, enjoyable teas that I have ever had, within days I went out and bought a box. I keep the tea bag in the mug for a long time to really get the most flavor and I also stir in a little sugar. It's such a nice, relaxing treat in the mid-afternoon, in the evening, after meditating or whenever. If you like tea then I'd really recommend it, it's made by the American company Celestial Seasonings.

Enjoy your tea!

~Peace to all beings~