Living in a gulf coast community has its ups and downs.  Just like every community anywhere.  A 650 mile wide hurricane affects a large area.  The damage and debris is quite evident everywhere you venture.  If the same storm had made its landfall on the east coast of US or Florida or southern Texas or Mexico would the effect be any less?  I do not think so.  The only difference would be locality and people.

Storms and hurricanes are not sent to destroy a people or land for any reason.  They are a natural phenomenon that occurs throughout our eco-system with a certain irregularity.  We do not know the strength of next season’s storms nor the shape, size, direction or number of storms.  Modern atmospheric, geological, oceanographic and meteorological sciences can help predict patterns and probabilities but what can we know for sure.  Storms come.

Powerful hurricanes like Katrina and Rita and most recently Ike hitting the Gulf coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, caused huge amounts of damage, loss of life and property to those in the affected areas.  Many people will carry the physical and mental scars for years to come.

Now more than ever we need to realize the message of the Lord Buddha.  Storm clouds form on all our horizons, we all suffer.  It is so easy to ask; Why me?  Why did this happen to me and my family?  Why my house?  Look around, is it just you and your family and your possessions? When bad things happen to us we struggle with the question of why me.  But is it the right question?  When the sun shines on us it shines on all around us. When the spring rains come and shower our gardens and home it showers all around us.  Rarely do we ask why I am blessed with such a beautiful day.  Do we think of our family, friends and neighbors? It is so much easier to share misery than blessings.

We are all connected to each other like the underground roots of large southern oak trees.  We share the same earth, the same water, the same air.  How can anyone ask why me?  Is there me, or is it us?  Hurricanes do not destroy because we have been bad.  Hurricanes destroy because it is the nature of hurricanes to destroy.  It is a fact that if you live you suffer the torments of life and all it offers.  No one needs to tell you that there is suffering.  It is universal.  But in the same breath remember something else is universal, compassion and equanimity.  We need to find a way to practice it.  We need to develop for us and others the value of compassion and the great healing and joy that come from human understanding and care for life.

The teachings of Lord Buddha are like rain. They fall on everyone equally. Truth is universal.  The truth of the Dharma is for everyone equally.  It is up to each of us in our own capacity to learn, live and grow in grace that flows from the Dharma. We need not to take what happens to us personally.  These hurricanes do not single us out individually.  We all suffer regardless of our goodness or lack of goodness.  We all hurt regardless of color, status, education, living conditions, poverty, wealth or faith.  We all have moments of happiness as well as sadness, security as well as fearfulness, pleasure and pain.  We are alive.  As long as we breathe we are subject to the conditions of life.

When a woman came to the Buddha and told him she had prayed and done all the things the priests and ministers of the temples had asked her to do.  She prayed fervently that her sick husband might get well and live.  Even after her prayers and tidings he died.  She asked why did this happen she had done everything that was asked of her.  The Buddha told her to go into the village and find a single family that had seen no death.  She found none.

Why she found none is because part of our living is our dying.  It is a truth universal.  Just the same that each of us suffers.  When we realize these simple truths we can change our thoughts from why me to thinking about all of us.  Start with your self and family, think good thoughts.  Extend those thoughts to friends, neighbors and people in your community.  See the connections we all share. See the opportunity to care for and serve the family and friends we have.  Realize the suffering will pass like the breath we exhale.  All the conditions of life are temporary.  Each will pass like the outgoing tide. Even strangers and peoples from all lands share these things with us.

If we take our teachings from nature and realize that we are apart of nature we can experience life in all its conditions and know when to let go.  The attachment to possessions and the past will construct us as prisoners in the present.  All our yesterdays are the parent of today.  We can change the mistakes we make.  Our karma is not set in stone; we can change our lives to reflect a better tomorrow.  The question we should ask is not; “Why Me?” The question is; “How can I be a Better me?” Share your compassion as you share your life. Free yourself from your miseries like the moon escaping from behind the clouds and shining brightly. After every storm the birds come to sing.  Why shouldn’t we.  When the time comes for us to pass we might look back and see the world we leave behind, better for us having been here.

I offer this prayer for you as I pray for everyone;

I wish you Peace.

Bhante Kassapa
Bhante Kassapa Bhikkhu                                                                                kassapa.org                                                                       
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com

Nature is a series of cycles and rhythms. The rhythm of our normal breathing coincides with nature. We are neither drawn to push or pull our breath. The rhythm of the breath gives us our clue. We do not need to be caught up in the flow of breathe; we merely need to watch it happen. This action of quietly sitting and watching breathing is called Anapanasati. The action itself is the tool to tranquility. With anapanasati we watch the flow of breathing without attaching any feelings of judgment to it. We simply watch the inhalation and exhalation. More specifically we watch the beginning, middle and end of the in-breath, and the beginning, middle and end of the out-breath paying particular notice to the small space in-between. Without thought of good or bad, pleasurable or non-pleasurable we quietly observe. Most of the time we find our minds are racing. The actions of the mind and the racing thoughts drag us from place to place, thought to thought. We will notice this when we loose the focus on the breath. We need to be patient with ourselves as the process of training the mind takes some time. We simply return to the breath. The deliberate action of breathing is so much slower than the actions of the mind that by focusing our attentions on the breath we find ourselves calming and resting in a quiet more relaxed state. The mind is calmed and we sit quietly expecting nothing.

The first time you place a collar and leash on a puppy he rebels and fights. Training the mind to be calm is at first like a puppy. We are not accustomed to reining in our thoughts, mental associations and judgments. We need to be gentle with ourselves and return over and over again to the starting point of the breath. Our willingness and commitment to begin over and over will bring about the tranquility we are looking for. It is in the attitude we foster that brings about an ability to be patient. Letting go of everything for those few moments, you can always go back to them if you choose. But during the meditation we have only to watch the breath, as we relax anapanasati resumes and the conditions are there to allow insight to the self.

In meditation we have no goals other than to be present. Allowing the mind to notice itself and the small thoughts that arise and fall away. Thoughts like the breath arise and fall away. We take our clue from nature in that all things arise and fall away.

We cannot expect to be able to sit quietly practice anapanasati and gain a tranquil state in the first 15 minutes of meditation. Small steps and a willingness to return to the beginning again and again will help to ensure tranquility. The process of reigning in the mind takes practice. You crawl before you walk. You walk before you run.

Mindfulness, insight and wisdom are the jewels of a good meditation practice. Mindfulness is the noticing the entire ordinary phenomenon around us. Pointing us toward watching helping us to become observers of ourselves and space we occupy. In this way we extend our mental awareness. From awareness comes insight, insight of the self through meditation is wisdom. Through self knowledge and wisdom we can become the authentic person. It is through the knowledge and acceptance of self that compassion becomes a value.

When your actions are performed, with the thought of loving the self, and without delusion, we can more readily see the cycle of life. Namely, that nothing is permanent, that all that arises will also fall away. An understanding of the impermanence of physical and mental conditions give rise to the fact we are able to see the perpetual action of samsara in our lives.

Our bodies breathe at their own paces. Luckily we do not have to tell ourselves to breathe. We can not control the breath for long periods of time. Our influences are short lived. The breath itself and the conditions of the body dictate the breath. The in-breath predicates the out-breath as likewise the out-breath shapes and forms the in-breath. Realizing this, we are watching the breath as it exists naturally. Breathing is part of our nature and part of nature itself. Being aware of this we are practicing Vipassana meditation.

Nature is the great teacher. The generating of compassion is by mindfulness, insight to ourselves and self wisdom. Wisdom does not come from books or classrooms or listening to teachers. It comes from the knowledge of self and mindful observation of the ordinary.

Breathe! You are alive!

“May All Beings Have Happy Minds”

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

The significance of which lies with the Buddha and his universal peace message to mankind.

Birth:

Temples will display a small image of the baby Buddha in front of the altar in a basin filled with water and decorated with flowers, allowing devotees to pour water over the statue; it is symbolic of the events following the Buddha’s birth.  We honor the significance of the birth by the ritual of bathing the baby Buddha. It is  a symbol of the events that led to and came from his birth when the devas paid homage to the Buddha by the  heavenly offerings given to him.

Enlightenment:

As we recall the Buddha and his Enlightenment, we are immediately reminded of the unique and most profound knowledge and insight which arose in him on the night of his Enlightenment. His message of compassion is paramount.

We honor the enlightenment of the Buddha by making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. On this day, many Buddhists will distribute gifts of monies and foods and offer kindness to various charitable homes throughout the country. Vesak is also a time for great joy and happiness.  Enlightenment is the end of suffering. Many Buddhist will use this opportunity to bring joy and happiness to others.

Devotees are expected to listen to talks given by monks. The monks will recite the Pali chants which were spoken and taught by the Buddha twenty-five centuries ago. They are meant to invoke peace and happiness for the Government and the people. Buddhists peoples are reminded to live in harmony with people of other faiths and to respect the beliefs of other people as the Buddha himself had taught.

Parinibbana:

Knowing that the time of his death was close, the Buddha summoned his disciples and spoke to them calmly:

“Ripe is my age, short is my life, leaving you I shall go. I have made myself my refuge. Be diligent, mindful and extremely virtuous. With thoughts collected guard your mind. In this doctrine and discipline by living strenuously, you will escape the cycle of rebirth and put an end to suffering.”

“Think not that you have no teacher after my death. Regard the Dhamma and Vinaya I have taught you as your teacher.”
“He who practices my teaching best serves me most.”
“He who sees the Dhamma sees me.”
“Transient are all component things, strive on with diligence.”

Then having felt his mission was accomplished the he passed away at eighty years of age,on a couch between two sala trees. He was born, as an extraordinary man he lived, and as a Buddha he passed away. Buddha was not a God nor a God’s prophet. He was a man with the message that offered the end of suffering. His message, the Dharma, is as needed today as it was 2552 years ago.

The Buddha left us a simple but great message. “Study together, learn together, practice the teachings together. Do not waste your mind and time in idleness and bickering. Enjoy the blossoms of enlightenment in their season and harvest the fruit of benevolence. “The teachings which I have given you, I gained by following the path myself.

It is a message of peace, commitment, self responsibility and compassion.  In this Vesak season renew the commitment, compassion and responsibility to your practice.  Extend yourself to the suffering around the world.  Remember the Maha Sangha in our efforts to bring about a lasting peace and compassionate efforts for the peoples of Burma and China. They are after all just like us.  Hope and pray for the governments of oppressive nations to allow the freedoms inherent to all people.  As we pray for peace throughout the world, may we ourselves have happy minds.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

The government of Burma by its action of concealing the country and its dealing with the monks and people, has added more proof to the world, that the mountain of criticism is justified. With Burma’s tightly controlled state media offered very little to allay any fears as the the conditions of the people after the cyclone. The news coming out of Burma is so tightly controlled , that details are little and many people fear the government has no effective plan to help the citizens offering scant details, it was unclear how the government was directing its emergency response.

The Burmese Army, which mobilized quickly and harshly to suppress the monks and the democratic protests last September, has been slow to respond to the needs of the people. We must ask what are they hiding. The disaster is compelling one of the world’s most secretive and isolated regimes to swing open its doors to the international community.

The monks of Burma have gone on video and news this week to ask for help. The people of Burma trust them. A country that is so quick to suppress the move towards a fair and just society for the monks and citizens now has a golden opportunity. They can use the ample police and military resources to help restore food, shelter and basic human needs to a country now twice devastated.

This is the time when inequality and exploitation dominate parts of the worlds societies. There are new signs however across the world calling for peace, social justice and the rights of human beings and the planets ecology. In Thailand, Buddhist monks are helping to preserve forests by ordaining individual trees into the priesthood. In Thai culture, ordained priests cannot be killed, thereby, the trees and forests are protected. These acts of caring are full of passion, and need to be better integrated with similar acts happening all over the world. The common agenda for all mankind must be firmly placed on a non-violent and spiritual path. This is the only way we can overcome the violence and destructiveness of dominant nations east and west from exercising their violent agendas over those who can not protect themselves, those with opposing views, and a fragile earth we must all share. We must become a people that develops a Buddhist mindset.

In Buddhism the breath is very important to us. Mindfulness in meditation leads to mindfulness in everyday life. We breathe in for the first time as we enter the world from our mother’s womb, and we breathe out the last time when we expire from life. Yet we do not take care of our daily breathing, we breathe in suffering, anxiety, hatred and greed. But we can have a personal transformation, become less selfish and care more for others. We can also develop self awareness and as we develop personal awareness we will also develop awareness of the social problems that plague our society. In order for us to find our true potential as individual and collectively we be face the suffering both mentally and socially.

We must begin to liberate ourself and our mindset. We need to respond with compassion.From the Buddhist standpoint we could overcome the sufferings in the world through the Noble Eightfold Path. It is a non-violent means. Through non-violence we can really achieve the cessation of suffering and the way to achieve the cessation of suffering.

We must begin to liberate ourselves and our mindset. We need to respond with freedom.

As a concerned people we hear the cries of those being oppressed. We must if nothing else pray for them. Develop metta in out everyday chores. Think good and loving thoughts for those who are oppressed. We may not be able to care for them directly, but we can care about them. We can wish them Peace. The fire of tyranny, oppression and hatred is never quenched with more fire. Prayer is an act of peace.

We must begin to liberate ourselves and our mindset. We need to respond with peace.

When one person passes, it is as if a single candle flame is hushed until rebirth, and we can be saddened. When thousands perish the darkness in undeniable. Gathered here we can transcend the distance and open our hearts of compassion. We breathe into this world a hope and prayer of great peace. We may be able to do nothing more than this. But we can pray. We are able to speak. Our voices can be like a thousand shining candles, doing our part to dispel the darkness. When those who have fallen strain to hear the outcry from the world, we pray they hear our voices. We give them our compassion. We work for their freedom. We pray for Peace throughout the world.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

All of us can feel anger. Likewise all of us can feel fear. We fear death. But death is inevitable. What is not inevitable is anger. Anger is the single most definable detriment to living beings everywhere. Anger and violence are branches of the same tree. They are like fire. Engage the anger and violence and you yourself are consumed.

The Buddha spoke of compassion and forgiveness, and how even words can be hurtful. We must ask ourselves what path we take. What are we to do with the emotions, fears, and anger we feel with regards to the people and monks of Tibet and Burma alike?

Many times you hear the word compassion. How do we love every person with equanimity? When doing evil the evil doer is obvious. It is the same by those who would do good. They are also seen. We are seen. We are heard. Compassion does not mean we sit idly by while evil is exercised all around us, but rather to not become engaged in it. Whenever an oppressor by any force harasses, gives pain, devastation, broken body, grave illness, mental anguish, government harassment, violence, slander, loss of loved ones and death, these persons will reappear with no discernment in hell.Compassion is not cowardice.

We can not judge the Chinese government or their motives. We can only speak to the actions they have carried out. They have their own karma. It is the same for us. We must understand that the actions of yesterday are responsible for the reality of today. What we do today will affect our lives tomorrow.

When we are shaken from our peaceful lives by the beliefs, statements, and actions, of any one person or government we must in solidarity with the oppressed make a commitment of support. Through your commitment to non violence, mindful conduct, and virtue, you become the voice and energy that causes change. Violence is never quenched by violence.

This action we are engaged in today is not about who they are and our response to hated, violence and death. It is about whom we are and our ability to effect change through forgiveness and compassion. The actions of the Chinese government against the peoples and monks of Tibet and Burma are their own. Our response to that aggression is our own. It is incumbent on a people seeking peace to act peacefully, to speak out against aggression without becoming the aggressor. We can not condemn the people of China. In the same way we ask them to understand that we are simply people of our country. There is a difference between the thoughts and minds of a people of every land and the government that rules them. We are not governments. We are people.

We must stand in solidarity with those who are everywhere oppressed. We must become the light that shines into the darkness of tyranny, evil and oppression. If the governments and beings of the world need a model for compassion and peace, let us be that model.

Heal your minds of anger. Sign petitions, walk in solidarity. Voice your concerns, and open your hearts.

“When one person passes, his life force dies like a candle hushed until rebirth, when hundreds perish the darkness is undeniable. Standing here our thoughts transcend the distance as we open our hearts of compassion.We breathe into this world a hope of great peace. We may be able to do nothing more. But we are able to speak. Our voices like thousands candles shine. We, each of us, will join our single voice in a chorus of compassion and sing the songs of peace. So when the last leaf falls from this tree of life, it may rest until reborn, as all this anguish comes to completion. When those who have fallen strain to hear the outcry of the world, we pray they hear our songs of peace.”

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

Although Buddhism spread throughout Asia it remained virtually unknown in the West until modern times.

Knowledge of Buddhism has come through three main channels: Western scholars; the work of philosophers, writers and artists; and the arrival of Asian immigrants who have brought various forms of Buddhism with them to North America.

The ‘come and see for yourself’ attitude of Buddhism attracts many Westerners. They are not asked to believe in anything, but to follow the Buddha’s advice of testing ideas first.

With the growth of easy travel and communications, the West has been able to discover more about Buddhism in the last fifty years than in all the time before. The Buddhist faith’s informality and emphasis on practice have wide appeal to many Westerners.

Buddhist attitudes of peace, mindfulness and care for all living creatures appeal to many Westerners. Buddhism believes that all things should be looked after: the earth, plants, birds, insects and animals. This is close to the feeling among many people in recent years that the human race should stop polluting the atmosphere and destroying the surface of the earth by cutting down forests and plundering our waterways and oceans. The teachings of mutual respect without exception are part of the Buddhist message.

Although the Buddha’s teachings have been known in countries throughout Asia for over 2,500 years, very few people in North America would have known what the word ‘Buddhist’ meant unless they had been born in the last 50 years.

More recently, as refugees from wars and conflicts, many Buddhist people have moved to the West. Many Tibetans, for example, fled from their country after the Chinese takeover in 1959. The wars in Indochina in the 1950s and 1960s led many Vietnamese people to move to and settle in Europe, Australia and North America. Other Buddhists from countries such as Thailand have established businesses in the larger Western cities. They have all brought their Buddhist beliefs to their new homes, and helped to set up Buddhist centers across America.

Why is Buddhism so successful in America?

• Buddhism’s success in this country is due to it’s central theme. Buddha’s central message of personal assurance, social and religious tolerance and optimism combined with personal experience and inner spiritual transformation is a stark contrast to the traditional western religions.

• Archetypal Christian faiths are based mainly on a petitionary style of prayer and dogmatic faith in the teachings. The fear and blind faith required of its believers, in the West, is beginning to break down. People are not willing to accept blindly the teachings of the traditional western faiths.

• Buddhism’s growth is also attributed to the new generation of native-born American Buddhist teachers and accessibility to the teachings of Buddhism. American Buddhist Dharma instructors have learned to communicate the dharma in a language contemporary to the American audience. Use of common language and an ever increasing technical communications savvy and style are helping to organize and maintain a clear message of the benefits of Buddhism for the contemporary world.

• In the past two decades a deep and growing dissatisfaction of many Americans with fundamentalism and conservative Christianity has helped Buddhism. The message of the Dharma is clean, pure and simple. “The Come and See” attitude does not require adherences, but rather asks the person to take an experiential perusal of the faith itself and how Buddhism works in the everyday walk of life. Buddhism stresses personal acceptance and responsibility. Because of this the Buddhist faith has become an alternative to western religions.

• Christian faiths are centered outside the self. In quiet contrast, Buddhism stresses the interior self of the mind. The mind is the key element. Not a belief in a being outside the self. Rather, the belief that goodness exists inside and peace and joy come from understanding the nature of our lives.

• Buddhism does not ask you to hold onto beliefs you have trouble relating to. If there is a message or part of a teaching that does not “fit” well in your practice, Buddhism tells you to expel the idea. It simply is not for you at the present time. Every good dharma teacher, monk and laity alike, will tell you, “if it doesn’t fit, throw it out of the window”.

The concepts or practices of over-indulgence on one hand, and self mortification on the other, are viewed as extremes. Over-indulgence is seen as a vehicle to retard spiritual growth and moral progress. Self mortification, often practiced in many religions, is seen as damaging the body and mental processes which affect the person’s ability to gain knowledge of the self.

Buddhism emanated from what is modern day Nepal. The growth of Buddhism in the world was in no doubt due to the practicality of the faith itself. The teachings are a common sense approach to the problems of life. Buddhism breaks down the need to appear helpless against the many problems of human life. Siddhartha simply says:

All life is suffering. We recognize this as the First Noble Truth. That statement frightens many people. Even though we know it is true we still find it difficult to accept. It is in the acknowledgment of a problem that we begin to address and solve it.

The Buddha states the reason for suffering is attachment. This is his Second Noble Truth.

Isn’t this another not-so-foreign-idea; to which we do not wish to pay any attention? As if not addressing the statement will make it disappear. All of us know it is not enough to point out a problem without offering a solution. So what is the solution here?

The complete cessation of suffering which is Nibbāna, is the Third Noble Truth. There are many reasons for attachments; once we identify the reasons, then we can see the problem and address it. Buddha then gives us the tools by which we learn to disengage ourselves from attachment:

The eradication of attachment is realized through the practices described in the Eight Fold Path, which is the Fourth Noble Truth. This and meditation are the bases for Buddhist practice. Following the Eight Fold Path is what we call the middle path.

The Buddhism which has evolved in America today, with its emphasis on meditation practices, is the natural distillation of the Buddhism found throughout Asia, which has a stronger focus on religious theory.

Buddhism has arrived in America. And not the Buddhism that teaches simply the philosophy of the faith. Specifically, it is the practice of the practical side of Buddhism combined with meditation that Americans find appealing. This is what is so different from the notion that Buddhism is a philosophy. As in any religion there exists a component of philosophical discussion and understanding. However, accepting the definition of philosophy as a quest for knowledge in the effort to gain that knowledge, philosophy is not solely what Buddhism is trying to be in America. It is the strong component of effort and engagement that is very important. It is the action of engagement and effort that shows results in positive change. Personal changes — transformations — are the reasons Buddhism is successful in America.

Western style religion can be defined as a system of faith. The belief in power or powers, god or gods manifesting outside the self and the practice of adoration or worship of these entities, is a basic component of that faith. A belief in the supernatural being with powers beyond the scope of humans is a common component of modern day religion. Buddhism does not demand a faith from its followers. The idea of faith is substituted with a ‘confidence based on knowledge and experience.’

The confidence of a lay follower in Buddhism is that of a patient to a noted physician or more like a student revering a very gifted professor. Followers seek “refuge in the Buddha,” as an incomparable guide and teacher who is able to instruct them on the Path of Purity. The followers of Buddhism make no servile surrender to the Buddha.

Buddhists do not think that they may attain enlightenment or purity by seeking refuge in the Buddha or by having a ‘faith’ in Him. It is not within the scope of any human being to wash away the impurities of others. The Buddha was a human being. Per his teachings, no one can purify or defile another. The Buddha as a teacher may be instrumental, but the responsibility of purification is ours.

Buddhism, and the message of the Buddha, has caught on in America. The reasons are varied. The chief reason for the acceptability and popularity is the message of compassion for the self as well as others.

Buddhism stresses the need for self responsibility. When you take your present, past and future out of the hands of a supernatural being there is no one else to be responsible. Our present is the off-spring of our past and the parent of our future.

Buddhism teaches neither blame nor judgment of any person or situation, only to be responsible for ourselves without the element of prejudice. Meaning: we can take responsibility only for ourselves. Something someone else does is not for us to judge.

Our only position is to love every living person without exception and with equanimity. That we do not judge nor assign any standard to, nor reproach nor have any prejudicial feelings nor actions toward anyone, is a most important teaching. Buddhism is a system of personal responsibility and accountability to self. Buddhists believe that goodness comes from good action which is brought about by good intention, right thought, and right concentration. Very basically, Buddhism teaches us that no one has the right to judge anyone or any incidents that happen to us. This is the message of Buddhism.

The Principle of Impermanence

One of the principles of the Buddha’s teachings is that of Impermanence.

The difficulty of teaching impermanence lies in the fact that we naturally form attachments. We must realize that all things pass. Everything arises, and then falls away.

Our lives are a process of light and dark, day and night, winter and spring, summer and fall. Each time passes into another. Nothing remains the same. This is what we acknowledge as a universal law. We can be sad over death and dying yet it is as natural as a blossom, once finished, falling to the ground. All things are transient: happiness and sadness.

We have to come to an understanding of our place in nature and the natural laws that govern all of us. We can live only in the present. We can not change the past and the future remains unfolded until it becomes today. We can acknowledge our transient nature by a comparison to all things found in nature. We are as much a part of each other as the air we share. What we share that is unique is our memory.

The pali word anicca (ah-NEE-chah) is translated into English as impermanence or change. But anicca is not merely a concept.

One of the core teachings of the Buddhist tradition, the Buddhist Dharma, is that all things are impermanent. Nothing lasts forever. There is nothing that can be held on to, no form that provides a secure, eternal presence. The universe is in a constant state of flux.

All sensations, feelings, happenings, incidents arise, stay for a time, and fall away, existing as energy through the rising and falling. The truth of impermanence, of anicca must be realized if there is to be an understanding of our true nature.

America has always enjoyed a great confidence in itself. Recently America’s great confidence has been shattered. The truth of suffering has arrived at our doors in a way we can not ignore. The lesson for us is to realize the suffering that exists in far off-lands now exists here at home. The uncertainty of these times – the insecurity, threats, and suffering, is very real. What we need to remember is we have a question to answer. How will this affect my life? How does it affect the lives of the people around me, of people everywhere? If in our meditations we come to realize that all things are transient, then we can apply that knowledge to events outside the self with the same outcome. What happens to us when we realize the entire universe we live in is impermanent by its own nature? We mature in our thinking. It is then that the actions of everyday living become important.

How we treat ourselves, how we treat others. Keeping a positive outlook on life’s changes helps us a great deal. We must begin learning how to live with a greater understanding of the need for compassion in ourselves, for ourselves and others. This is attainable through Vipassana meditation and following the Noble Eightfold Path.

The technique of Vipassana meditation is a path that leads to freedom from all suffering. Through the realization that attachment and craving are the root of suffering and ignorance, we discover the causes of all our miseries. As we practice meditation and gain greater self knowledge we are able, little by little, to remove the causes of suffering and steadily emerge from a life of misery and ignorance to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives.

The connection to suffering is clearly that of grasping at what is fleeting and impermanent. By wanting what we cannot attain, or by holding onto past expectations and desires, we further embroil ourselves in the cycle of annica.

Only by understanding the impermanent nature of everything, including ourselves, are we able to “let go” and begin to live a happier and more joyful life.

Buddhism has the capacity to transform the human mind and character. It is an opportunity awaiting all who sincerely wish to make the effort. It is surely worth the effort.

“When human kind is sorrowed by loss and death,
the surest way to comfort is through extending loving kindness to each of them.
In the same way if world peace is ever to be realized
it must be embraced internally by each and every one of us.”
- Bhante Kassapa

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

Marcus Tullius Cicero January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and philosopher. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome’s greatest orators and prose stylists.

Cicero is generally seen as one of the most versatile minds of Roman culture and his writing the paragon of Classical Latin. He introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary. An impressive orator and successful lawyer, Cicero likely thought his political career his most important achievement. However, today he is appreciated primarily for his humanism and philosophical and political writings.

That the Latin terms Re (Latin meaning, “divine reading”) and Lego, Latin meaning “truth or true” and held that the terms meant the repetition of prayers and incantations. It is easy to see the connection between what we call religion today and the early attempts to clarify and give a clear understanding of the word religion. Over a period of time the word religion has been defined as a system or systems of faith and worship, owing its allegiance to a supernatural being(s) or god(s).

This is important to remember. Religion as we know it or can define is a system of faith. It is a belief in a power or powers, god or gods outside the self, and that the practice of religion is the faith in these beings through the adoration or worship of these entities. A belief in the supernatural being with powers beyond the scope of humans is common component of modern day religion. Buddhism does not demand a system of faith from its followers. The idea of belief is substituted with a ‘confidence based on knowledge and experience.’

The confidence of a lay follower in Buddhism is that of a patient to a noted physician or more like a student revering a very gifted professor. Followers do seek “refuge in the Buddha,” but as an incomparable guide and teacher who is able to instruct them on the Path of Purity. The followers of Buddhism make no servile surrender to the Buddha. Buddhist do not think that they may attain enlightenment or purity by seeking refuge in the Buddha or by having a ‘faith’ in Him. It is not within the scope of any human being to wash away the impurities of others. The Buddha was a human being. Per our teachings no one can purify or defile another. The Buddha as a teacher may be instrumental, but the responsibility of purification is ours. The Buddhist holy book or bible is called the Dhammapada.

In the Dhammapada Buddha writes:

“By oneself alone is evil done;
by oneself is one defiled.
By oneself alone is evil avoided:
By oneself alone is one purified.
Purity and impurity depend on oneself.
No one can purify another.” V-145.

A Buddhist follower is not a slave to a book or to any individual. Nor does he sacrifice his freedom to become a follower of Buddhism. There is abrogation of self or free will. The Buddhist practitioner is fully at liberty to exercise their freedom of thought and to develop the knowledge needed to attain Buddha hood for themselves. Followers quote the Buddha as an authority as you might quote your professor. But the Buddha’s instructions were to seek truth through the experience of seeking.

Individual realization is the sole truth in Buddhism. You do not accept anything on merely the say so, or authority from anyone else. Rather, you exercise your own powers of reasoning and judge for yourselves whether something is true for you or not.

Is then Buddhism a philosophy? The Dhamma, as the body of teachings are called, deals with the truths and facts that can be tested and verified by personal experience. Buddhism is not really concerned with theories and speculations which often become accepted as being profound truths of today and not accepted 10 years from now. For the Buddha his thoughts were a guide to live a wholesome life, not a revolutionary philosophy full of theories and conclusions. In very plain terms he explained both what is within and what is without as it pertains to freeing the self from the ills of life and dealing with the suffering that come to each of us.

Buddhism cannot be called in the purest sense a philosophy. It is not the ‘love of’ inducing the search for a wisdom or a hypothetical interpretation of the unknown as in metaphysics. Buddhism seeks to teach a framework for people to live. Philosophy deals normally with the knowledge of things but not the practice. Whereas Buddhist teachings have heavy emphases on practices and realizations.

One of the most import elements of Buddhist teachings is the recognition that each of us has the potential of realizing goodness in our life. We know when something is immoral or unwholesome and that with this knowledge we disregard the action that would bring about pain or suffering due to the immoral or unwholesome action.

In other words if we know it to be an action that brings harm or suffering to self or others that the action should be abandoned. We would call this a conscience. But more than that it is knowledge of what is right and wrong. The Buddha had very few rules for followers. The rules of life are more a moral code to understand and form a mindset for living.

They are:

Abstain from taking life.
Abstain from anything that in not freely given to you.
Abstain from unchaste conduct.
Abstain from false or hurtful speech.
Abstain from using intoxicants that lead to carelessness.

In these rules we can see a basic respect for self and other living things developing. As we accept responsibility for ourselves and others it easier to understand why we should develop a respect for other peoples possessions. One of the easiest ways to cause harm and hurt someone is by false speech. Carelessness through drugs or alcohol can and often does have a heavy cost.

The basic theory of Buddhism holds these four tenets:

All life is suffering;
The cause for suffering is attachment and craving;
Cessation of craving and attachment
eradicates the existence of suffering;
Developing right understanding and following
the Noble Eightfold path is the way to learn that cessation;

The Noble Eightfold Path has the following components:

1. Right Understanding.
2. Right Thoughts.
3. Right Speech.
4. Right Actions.
5. Right Livelihood.
6. Right Effort.
7. Right Mindfulness.
8. Right Concentration.

Basically however Buddhism is a practice of Metta. Metta is a Pali word meaning simply Love. Buddhism is the practice of attaining knowledge of the self. Learning to love yourself.

Only through self knowledge can we come to know others. Buddhism through its cornerstone of meditation is the key to unlock the inner universe which has developed in our minds. Only by dealing with the factors of our own making can we hope to deal with the external universe we live in. One does not take up Buddhism to hide away from the world; you take up Buddhism to engage it.

The main point differentiating  Buddhism from western style religions is that there is no petitionary prayer. There is no bargaining with a god or a deity or with Buddha “If you do this for me I will do this for you.”  Self acceptance and self love combined with self responsibility are the teaching of Buddhism.

When I was young I was involved in a backyard fight with my best friend Nicky. We had been best friends for years. I cannot remember what the fight was about but it caused a giant rift between us. A couple of 10 year old boys can not create a giant rift, but one that is large for them. I am sure we were both equally at fault but more than likely too proud to be the first to apologize or back down. I told my mom about the whole thing and she sent me to church and confession. The priest listened to me and gave me 10 Hail Mary’s and sent me on my way absolving me of my sins telling me sin no more. Nicky did the same thing going to church and becoming absolved from his sins. So now I was clean as snow and pure without sin. I was also however without my best friend. To a little boy who had lost his best friend being sinless was very little comfort.

Buddhism stresses the need for self responsibility. When you take your present, past and future out of the hands of a supernatural being there is no one else to be responsible. Our present is the off-spring of our past and the parent of our future. Buddhism teaches neither blame nor judgment of any person or situation, only our response to it. Meaning: we can take responsibility only for ourselves. Something someone else does is not for us to judge.

Our only position is to love every living person without exception with equanimity. That we do not judge nor assign any standard to, nor reproach, nor have any prejudicial feelings and actions towards anyone, is an important teaching. As a child we accept things more purely and it is easier to live a life less complicated and non-prejudicial. As a child I was able to go to my friend and make amends. We have been friends ever since.

Buddhism is a system of personal responsibility and accountability to self. Buddhists believe that goodness comes from good action which is brought about by intention, thought, and concentration. Very basically Buddhism teaches us that no one has the right to judge anyone or incidents that happen to us. We are not to take things personally as these things happen to us all. We must realize that all things pass.

Everything arises, and then falls away. Our unhappiness and sorrow come from wanting to change things or hold onto things we simply cannot. Allow yourself to let go. Allow yourself to breathe.

Believe that you are the well from which all goodness comes, and from which it flows.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

Lecture for World Religions Class
Professor Raul Garcia
Lamar University
Beaumont, Texas

Right Thought is comprised of three individual parts; renunciation, loving kindness and compassion. It is important that we cultivate each of these elements. Let us first take a look at renunciation.

Renunciation is the antidote for greed and its symptom craving. Greed has a habit of leading down paths we are unable to control. Greed can never be satisfied. All the energy you use to pursue and obtain a prize is followed by the energy to keep and maintain it. Greed leads to suffering and never takes us to a path where we may search out and find a lasting peace and happiness. What we need to remember is that the objects of desire are impermanent. So with this in mind, we may use the tool of renunciation as a way to be released from the suffering that craving imposes upon us.

Letting go seems simple. In reality we must acknowledge that it is not. We come to recognize that renunciation and the act of letting go is the opposite of greed and attachment. We humans do not like empty spaces. We fill our lives with so many things, in an effort to be satisfied. We find however, it is a shallow short lived happiness. Letting go is different in each of our universes. In meditation letting go is the system by which we allow thoughts to enter and leave in a natural way without taking time to classify of judge.

In the exterior universe letting go or renunciation takes on a different aspect. Renunciation is a tool by which we simplify our lives. Readily distinguishing our needs from our wants is a step toward renunciation and liberation.

Another way we may use this tool is by looking at objects as objects and nothing more. People and objects are not necessarily possessions. Breaking free from the mind domination is surely not easy. However, being difficult is not a reason we should not try. After all, the reward is peace and happiness.

The second aspect of right thought is loving kindness. It is a form of thought combined with the feelings of peace and contentment shared with ourselves and given freely to others in our meditation. The notions of loving kindness start in the interior universe in our meditation. They, however, emerge as a way of life and thought with regards to how we look at the facets of daily living. Loving kindness or Metta begins with the self. The next step is the extension of loving kindness to others. Loving kindness is offered to everyone without exception. From ourselves the joy and positive energy grows outward, acting in a way to help change the world and the external universe for the better.

Compassion or karuna is the third aspect of right thought. Compassion is the opposite of hatred and cruelty. We all suffer, this is the first noble truth. Compassion is centered on an object: that is, the object of compassion. Compassion acknowledges that we all suffer, but when exercised, offers a way to shield thoughts from doing harm by word or action. If we respond to anger or hatred with more anger and hatred we perpetuate the suffering.

Compassion and loving kindness are supportive efforts. When you are full of loving kindness your heart is open and your mind is clear to the suffering of others. It is important to remember that compassion for others as well as loving kindness for others begins with the self.

When we are open to the idea of mindfulness, we are able to see the small changes we make in our own lives. With this we can extend the treasure of loving kindness and compassion outside of ourselves.

We are thinking people. Learning to think properly: right thought is a step by which we help ourselves and others to overcome suffering. By using these tools we can see more clearly, we can learn to express our love and compassion more sincerely and we can continue to grow in understanding ourselves and our role in daily life.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319