A GOOD BOOK

On the surface Lessons of the Lotus is not a complicated book.  It deals in a straightforward manner with several important topics.  The profundity is grasping these ideas and applying them.

The lotus grows from a muddy layer below water and the flower blossoms beautifully at the surface.  So there already is a lesson:  Wonders can come from unexpected even hidden places.  This is no less true for us than objects.

The author is a Sri Lankan Buddhist Monk,  Bhante Y. Wimala who in his early 20's decided to become a traveling Monk instead of pursuing a more in depth study in a monastery.  He is the man who first taught me meditation about 25 years ago and apparently wrote this book shortly after I had met him.  When I first saw him at the retreat center, I was impressed with his demeanor:  he projected peace and calm with a groundedness.  And these features are reflected in his book.

He forgoes a more scholarly, detailed look at Buddhist teachings and philosophy in order to stress a more practical approach to overcoming suffering and finding happiness.

He speaks of our inner essence as a part of us that transcends our conscious self.  And we can access it by recognizing our connection to nature and others.  Introspection, honesty, curiosity help in the journey.   The practice of loving-kindness to all living beings goes a long way to end suffering.   Of course it is difficult to love people who are harsh or even evil.  He gives advice on approaching such people without ignoring their negative aspects or being victim to them.  And he shares the story of the Buddha converting a mass murderer through loving kindness into a conscientious loving Monk.

Meditation is a key element.  He describes it easily and points to it's usefulness in calming the mind and helping us get beyond the everyday chatter of existence and see life more transcendent.  Living in the present moment is important.

He also looks at Karma.  Karma is not getting what we deserve but more the consequence of our actions be they positive or negative.  And this can and does happen in the current moment even if a Buddhist view is also it can play out over several lifetimes.

What a pleasure to discover Bhante Wilmala's book.  While I haven't seen him since he taught me meditation, I have maintained a respect and gratitude for him.  And now I have more thanks for his straightforward and profound guide to living and transcending suffering.

                                                                       ---the Bishop


Bhante Wilmala

Ex Cathedra

Really from December 2019:  We have been silent lately--I'm not sure who this collective We is, perhaps God and me or more likely just the many important aspects of the Bishopric.  Nevertheless it has been a while since I, no we, have commented.  And this is probably a result of the vow of silence We often take in the Cathedral House of Good.  It's a version of "If you can't say anything good, don't say anything."  But of course there is also a bit of laziness, time crunch and no inspiration.  The latter is important since We have indeed a strong Quaker influence.  We are also influenced by the Procrastination Society.

We have traveled since the last blog and so some sacred spaces even in Singapore and Vietnam not to mention the States.  Perhaps soon I will be moved by Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, along with these other sacred spaces. 

                                                              --the Bishop

MY BEEF WITH GRIEF

Slightly more than 50 years ago as a  young medical student I sat in on my first case conference with a skilled attending psychiatrist interviewing a depressed widow.  She was sadden to the point of not eating or sleeping and was contemplating suicide.  And what was the precipitant of this extreme state?  The death of her cherished dog!  I recall in my early 20's thinking how silly to be so attached to a dog.  Oh, I had so much to experience.

The psychoanalytic interpretation that day was that the dog was a displacement from the loss of her husband.  This made sense to me.   I had had only a few losses by that time even if they had been very significant: my father and grandfathers and even a few dogs, with the latter getting little regard.

Now fast forward 50 plus years. My looses have multiplied of course including family, friends, and acquaintances.  I have been able to acknowledge and experience grief repeatedly.

Recently my life partner and I had to euthanize her increasingly debilitated poodle.  She had known the dog 11 years and I had known her 8 years.  Sadness has overwhelmed us both.  Sadness for the loss of Isadora herself!  And in this grief I recall my case conference of 50 years ago.

Isadora was a wonderful, gentle dog, affectionate and ever present.  She was non-intrusive but engaging and ever conscious and accommodating of her master's mood.  We grieve for other losses and our own mortality but we also grieve for Isadora.  She is gone and we will miss her sorely.

                                                                              -- the Bishop

A GOOD BOOK IF ONLY BECAUSE IT'S INTERESTING

James, the Brother of Jesus:  the Key to Understanding the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls by Robert Eiseman.

What a scrupulously researched and detailed book!  The author weaves together an exhaustive list of ancient documents which include canonical and non canonical works (Jewish and Christian), the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient historians and many more.  It took me months to complete and I think it would really require a PhD for me to fully evaluate it.  Eiseman uses philology, etymology, historical criticism, and deep knowledge of comparative religions and ancient history.  He connects dots in such a remarkable way that I'm not sure he is not creating dots.

But the basic theory as I understand it (and it would have to remain a theory for me) associates the earliest Jesus followers (earliest Christians) in the general apocalyptic milieu of the era.  So the earliest followers would have been more militant, staunchly observant of the Torah, messianic, rebellious, and ritualistic.  It would not have been a turn the other cheek religion.

James is portrayed as the brother of Jesus and his successor as leader of the group on Jesus' crucifixion.  And Eiseman contends James was effectively written out of the cannon by the followers of Paul in a effort to basically allow the Pauline version of Christianity of prosper--a version more in cooperation with the Romans and more identified with love and a heavenly kingdom instead of an Earthly one.  Paul's early persecution of the new sect gave way to his being the major proponent.  Eiseman contends Paul actually was responsible for an attack on James which was rewritten in the New Testament as the stoning of Stephen and even to some extent in suicide description of Judas.

An intriguing aspect of the book for me is that it gives a plausible, even if inaccurate, picture of how early Christianity could have developed in a time of intense religious and political upheaval.  When we read the current cannon, we are perhaps only reading the final victorious version of conflicting and battling ideas, beliefs and practices.

                                                                          --the Bishop