July-September 2011 Volume 7, Issue 3

NEWSLETTER
Buddhist Correspondence Course

Recognizing Stress and Tension

Randall Cash (Lincoln, IL)
When I first went to death row in San Quentin in 1992 I was a stressed out mess. I was very nave as to how the appeal process worked, how long Id be sitting there awaiting execution or reversal of penalty. Tension was a tangible entity there. You could cut it with a butter knife. Later, years later, in 1998-99, a friend turned me onto the Upanishads. I learned how to do breath meditation and found an elephant-sized weight lifted off me. It felt great, but I still had no true mental discipline. Id let things get under my skin and flare off at people. Then I left death row in 2005 and sat in Reception Center, which was a real powder keg. No respect, noise 24/7, making concentrating on anything very difficult. I lost the ability to meditate! It was just too noisy. I was so tense. I had to find a way to embrace the chaos and be able to breathe and meditate or I was going to go nuts. And just that easy I stopped fighting the noise and was able just to be aware of my breath. Though I knew the noise was still there, I no longer heard it. I still do that here at High Desert. My cellie is a loud individual, deaf in one ear so he over-compensates by yelling instead of talking. At first it was unbearable. I know its not his fault. Hes deaf! We have been cellies for over two years now. Were like family. Wouldnt give him up for a new cellie if you paid me. And hes louder than ever! He still stresses me out at times. I feel tense, but I recognize it for what and why it is and it turns to vapor and just dissolves away. When I realize I have won over a tense moment, it makes me smile because I know I have evolved. Five years ago if someone yelled in my ear like this guy does, wed be fighting. Now I realize the conversation is going to be over in a minute and it will be quiet again so theres no point in getting angry at a man who is not aware of his volume level. This is one example. The same scenario plays out while walking on the yard. Ill hear guys talking about someone they saw on the news. A child molester gets convicted and, Boy, if that guy would ever come to this yard, wed show him some justice and so on. Ill find myself starting to get caught up in the old testosterone festival and join in the dialogue only to hear an inner voice telling me,
(Continued on page 2)

Inside this issue

Recognizing Stress and Tension Randall Cash ......................... 1 Guided Meditation: Sounds James L. Halbirt .................... 2 Hands Mujin (Travis L. Adams) ........ 3 Fear of a Buddhist Book Z. L. King ................................ 3 Shantideva James L. Halbirt .................... 3 Sit James Davis .......................... 4 The Great Complainer Tenshin Hyon Sek ................ 4 The Emperors New Clothes? Paul Stavenjord .................... 5 Two Poems Gregory Howard ................... 5 Pages of Sacred Sages Brian Alberer ........................ 6 A Wonderful Thing Paul Pickens ......................... 5 Wood Carving James Davie ......................... 7 Twinkle, Twinkle Myron Stebbins .................... 7 Fear is Almost Everywhere Z. L. King .............................. 7 Our Attitudes Willie E. Campbell, III ............ 8 Passing Away James Bettis ......................... 9 Now Chad Frank ........................... 9 Back to the Origin Mujin (Travis L. Adams) ........ 10

Guided Meditation: Sounds

James Halbirt (San Louis Obispo, CA)
Find a comfortable posture. Lying in bed, sitting up straight in your chair, take a few cleansing breaths. Keep your eyes open, but not fixed upon anything. Be aware of your body, lying or sitting there. Just feel it as it is and let it relax. Now pay attention to sounds in your body. Maybe you hear a gurgle or a faint sigh. Do not create or imagine any sounds, Just listen to the silence if you cannot hear anything. Now expand your awareness to the sounds around you, inside the room. Do not grasp or reject any sounds. Just listen. Now expand your awareness to include all sounds, the birds, the wind, the traffic, singing, speakers, all the sounds you hear.
The BCCN is distributed at no charge to those taking the Buddhist Correspondence Course. This is your newsletterby you, about you, and for you. You are the major contributors, so send us your questions, problems, solutions youve found to difficulties in practice, thoughts you have on practice, artwork, poetry, etc. Due to limited space, some editing may be necessary. We also welcome your comments on the newsletter and suggestions for ways we might improve it to serve you better. Please mail all correspondence to: Buddhist Correspondence Course c/o Rev. Richard Baksa 2020 Route 301 Carmel, NY 10512 Let us know if we may use your full name or just your initials.

Do not name the sounds. Do not make up a story around the sounds, Just open your ears to the sounds of the world. If you become distracted, remember your intention to be present, to be aware, to meditate. Come back again and again to just listening. Now look deeply into listening: where does sound stop and hearing start? Experience this seamless experience. Notice how ephemeral sounds are. They come and go. They do not remain exactly the same for very long. Open yourself to the music of the world without any grasping. Rest in the quietness and clarity of this experience. Stretch your body, move your limbs. Gently get up, trying to maintain this quality of attention and non-grasping throughout the day.

What right do I have to say, I may be a murderer, but at least Im not a child molester?
(Continued from page 1)

Who am I to judge someone else? By my own hand, Ive taken four human lives during three events in my life. What right do I have to say, I may be a murderer, but at least Im not a child molester? When I feel these things, my whole body tightens up. I get so tense and stressed because not only have I wrongly judged another personits not my placebut I also have dredged up my own personal dukkha. What does the fact I have robbed four human beings of their lives mean to my karma? What will happen when I leave this life? I meditate on it but its still right here staring back at me in the mirror. Can I cleanse my karma in this life or will I have to keep returning and die at the hands of another killer or escape the circle of birth and death and move on eventually? This is what gives me tension. I try to be helpful to others in any way I can. I am tolerant of my comrades and try not to harbor any ill will, anger, or animosity. It is not easy.

Hands
Mujin (Travis L. Adams) (Sarasota, FL)
Sitting in my cave on this rainy day once again, I ponder this newsletter. Again and again, I cannot find the Tao. I - ME - MINE: these words I see. Talk of the Way! Talk of the Path! And at the same time grasping, even for the practice. Lost are the ones who talk of emptiness within these pages. Not yet do they have the view. Grasping at the words of the practice, they miss the mark with eyes of duality. Not yet have they found the still point nor understood the Nectar of Death. Seeking the inner fire thruway of the chakras, seek the pure teachings of the 16 drops, and arouse the kundalini. The thoughts within these pages are not yet of the Tao, for without emptiness, the last of the three principals, you are not of the Way. For without these threerenunciation, bodhicitta, and emptinessyou cannot enter upon the Great Mahayana Path. Without the Great Compassion of true bodhicitta, you can never be a Bodhisattva, nor conduct the deeds. Without the armor of Great Compassion, you will be forever in samsara, the realms of the lower six. Have you ever stopped to look at your hands? Put your hand in front of your face! What do you see? You may speak of so many conditions that arise from these hands. Tell me, how can this be? What do In this way one can see you see, my Dharma friend? Close your there is no reality. eyes. Now you see, nothing is before you! Everything is empty, You are looking existing solely upon through the eyes of duality, lost in the illuconditions that give rise sions of the mind. The to the thing you see. hands as you call them, the label you prefer, I cannot see. Therefore, they have never hindered nor served me. In this way one can see there is no reality. Everything is empty, existing solely upon conditions that give rise to the thing you see. The king of emptiness dwells within the Great Palace of karma and the Four Truths guard the palace gates from the Five Horsemen. Stand guard over your mind, for the Five Horsemen ride seeking those of duality, placing upon them the magic spell of the Black Pig. Lost in the illusionary world, those beings we must save. Hold tight to the Three Jewels for they have your flank. Never forsake them. May the great deities manifest within you for the time is short, and the Dharma is slipping away. Beware my Dharma friends of the magical Black Pig, for he alone has sent the Five Horsemen to the great Dharma king. Dwelling in the abode of the great karmic Palace of the Universe, this is the place of practice. You must make it your abode.

Shantideva (James Halbirt, San Luis Obispo, CA)

Fear of a Buddhist Book

Z. L. King (Galesburg, IL)

For more than four months I was blessed with a copy of a great and noble book Guide to a Bodhisattvas Way of Life by Shantideva I kept putting off the reading of this book Because of my fear For twelve years I have been reading excerpts From Guide to a Bodhisattvas Way of Life So I knew this book held gems for me Yet I did not read it because of my fear Fear that the book would cause me to change And begin to love people Today I finally finished reading Guide to a Bodhisattvas Way of Life Yes, this book has caused me to change And become more like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

The Great Complainer

Tenshin Hyon Sek (Jeremy Jones) (Bunker Hill, IN)
There is this guy in my cell house who seems to cry and complain about everything. Anyone familiar with my past articles will know that my people skills are somewhat lacking when it comes to compassion and empathy towards others. Not good or very Buddhist, I know, but it is what it is. In my spiritual philosophy, God, the Universe, whatever label you want to attach to it, brings around chance after chance for growth and development in a consistent and progressive manner. I have been getting the opportunity to change my worldview in regard to understanding other peoples pain. The gentleman I dubbed the great complainer has for months now been trying to share with me the pain his leg has been giving him. At times I can be a jerk. I did not care about his suffering, and listening to him was causing me to suffer. Why am I like this? Who knows. Maybe I learned it as a kid when my mom would say things like, Stop crying, you little baby, or Its too far from your heart to kill you. Last week I slipped a disc in my lower back. I have been in constant pain and cannot practice my kung fu. Martial arts is my passion my soul, and I may not be able to train again. I began to cry about it. What a turn of events. After a few days, I recognized my own complaining and realized that I was acting just like the guy who bothered me so much over the past few months. The fruits of karma. It smiled its black-tooth grin, yet within that menacing grin lies the spiritual light of opportunity. Now I am asking myself things like Am I and the pain the same or different? Who is it that feels the pain? What does pain look like? Koans take a while so I will be back to this in a future article. For now I want to impart to you what I have learned from this. When someone is suffering physically or mentally, imagine that you In my spiritual philosophy, God, the Universe, whatever label you want to attach to it, brings around chance after chance for growth and development in a consistent and progressive manner. are the one who is suffering. Truly feel the pain. Once you understand this type of misery, dedicate a practice to the healing of him or her, or me, if you dont mind. Then, thank God, Buddha, whomever, that you have your health. If you are suffering, try to understand your pain and your reaction to it. Do not run away from it because that will only increase its intensity. Like a living beast it will stalk you. I am letting the pain run its course. I am opening up to it and learning what it has to teach me. This is difficult, but all things will come to an end. My pain is not eternal. Nor are you and I.

Sit, no thought The truth comes from Lessons taught Emptiness And the appearance of things Three times, the singing bowl rings

SIT
JAMES M. DAVIS (BOISE, ID)

Offerings made and Then a bow; bare attention The mind is present Here and now Attachment and aversion Thoughts deluded A path begun Eight steps included

The Emperors New Clothes?

Paul Stavenjord (Seward, AK)
I guess its a direct reflection on how old I am. The other day I was talking with someone, and mentioned The Emperors New Clothes. He didnt have a clue what I was talking about. The subject was science and how science (a lot of science) is believed because everyone else believes it, not because it produces any facts. If a book were written, entitled The Facts of Science, you would have the front and back covers and a lot of blank pages. There are no facts of science. (Ill bet I get some attention with that statement.) Everything is in constant change. Interdependent origination. Facts would be considered non-changing. Eternal. There can be a lot of confusion in using the wrong word. Words are only symbols and may or may not clearly and fully express the meaning intended and, moreover, words may be understood quite differently from what was intended by the speaker. Fact is only one of the many words that we use without fully understanding the meaning. Truth is another word that I have problems with. Truth doesnt change. If it does change, call it something else. People say, My truth might be different from your truth. Impossible if we are talking about
(Continued on page 8)

To receive copies of any of the resources listed below, please write to Rev. Richard Baksa at the address on p. 2.

A listing by state of Buddhist groups that may be able to send volunteers to your prison to conduct Buddhist activities. The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000: This guarantees equal access to all religions to prison facilities for the purpose of religious meetings. What is the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act?: This explains the act and how it is to be applied.

Two Poems
Gregory Howard (Pittsburgh, PA)
Men yell out in the middle Of the night, haunted by The nightmares of their Mind, seeking relief From the pain and Suffering of the world . I give you four coins That are priceless, and Eight bottles of water to drink . Look into my treasure chest And take any three gems you Want. Believe, understand, Dig deep, hear, apply . Bow, to the world in peace Uplift, the poor in the world Develop, true kindness in others Deliver, truth to the people Help, the old and little children Accomplish, love to the world.

Pages of Sacred Sages

Brian Alberer (Smyrna, DE)
Turn the pages of great sages in holy books Only to find that your best friends can be lying crooks Stories of lives that have suffered bloodshed Is the way it begins I keep on turning pages of this book full of strife Only to find that kindness and compassion Are never brought to life I read on and tears wet the ancient pages I cry for the sacrifice of these wise sages Please someone stop me from turning pages As I pray for the sacrifice of the sages As spiteful feelings build into rage, Dear Creator dont let me turn the next page, Dont make me the next sacrifice on these pages Time to close the sacred book of sages. Please, dear Creator, no more pages.

A Wonderful Thing
Paul Pickens (San Diego, CA)
Buddhism is a wonderful thing. It gives you peace of mind, insight, mindfulness, and compassion. You can look at life for what it is. We are born. We live. We die. A lot of people get stuck on dying. Me not so much. Even in prison I dont really think about it. I have learned to live for the moment. Prison is a strange place to find Buddhism with all the madness, violence, and chaos. I can still find refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, which by the way I am still getting used to but I know it is there. I once never thought about anything that Buddhism teaches us, but now I think about these things all the time. It is a daily practice but a good one. I just wish more people knew and understood what we know. I know the world would be a lot more peaceful. I used to think it was all about me. Nobody else mattered. Doing drugs, stealing, robbery. Stupid stuff. But now I see things in a whole new light. My attitude, my way of thinking, even doing my time has changed. They say inside every fat person there is a skinny person trying to get out. Thats the way I felt. I needed to step aside and let my Buddha nature come through, and it felt great. I read all the BCCNs of all my Buddhist brothers and sisters and I cannot only hear the change but I can feel it too. I have eight years left and I will continue my Buddhist practice. I would like to become a Buddhist chaplain, so I can continue to learn and teach this awesome thing called Buddhism. To Rev. Richard Baksa and everyone in your organization, thank you for all that you do. You have changed a lot of minds and hearts. I know today I am a better person because of the Buddhas teaching and all of your support. To all Buddhist programs throughout the country, from all of us inside, thank you.

Fear is Almost Everywhere

Wood Carving
James Davie (Brent, AL)
I carved this wood picture of the Buddha and donated it to the Saraha Buddhist Center in San Francisco. After studying wood carving with a professional wood carver here in prison a few years ago, I recently began wood relief carving. Everything I have carved so far is Buddhist related. I send my carvings to various monks and monasteries in the country.

Z. L. King (Galesburg, IL)

Today is the birthday of my beloved grandmother. She was a great and noble woman that has died. In life she was a farmer, teacher, and washerwoman, too. Today is also the day that my mother died. She died on her mothers birthday. Mother was voted Mother of the Year

Twinkle, Twinkle
Myron Stebbins (French Camp, CA)
I think of, and dream of, All the little stars in the universe floatin free Creating empty yet full pictures on the biggest canvas called the galaxy Look how each and every star shines so bright Even at night, yeah, I mean it shines so bright Me? Oh, I sit like right over there Right next to him and her Yeah, like right over there I stand amongst greatness; I see through the sea My enlightenment is so bright sometimes it blinds even me Full blast head-on, I dig deep from within No time wastin I gots to push to the end What you mean I might not win? Well, regardless of the outcome Ill give it my all 110% of what is or may be I see in dimensions above the 33rd and the third degree What, you want a challenge? Nah I submit, yes, you win cuz its better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt and secrets cant be passed to just anybody So I bottle up what I know And give it to those who show True compassion amongst all mankind I dont think that was you, so let me speak to whos next in line Thank you for your time, Nah man, Im serious, I mean it, Thank you for your time And please continue to shine Twinkle, Twinkle

Two or three times, And worked as nurse for 35 years. The last sixteen years of her life She was a nursing supervisor. My fear is that prison will block My desire to give back Something of value I am trying to live to be 87, But many teach we do not know The hour of death. Death comes as a thief in the night.

(Continued from page 5)

Our Attitudes
Willie E. Campbell, III (St. Gabriel, LA)
You are you, a unique individual. Only by walking, only by living your life, will you find the Way. This is something of great value. From The Spiritual Path: Buddha, Zen, Tao, Tantra, by Osho

Truth in the ultimate sense. In the conventional sense, however, your truth might be different than mine. Modern science is built upon the attitude of objectivity. First, we observe what our senses detect. Then we make assumptions about reality based upon these observations. Next, we build logical systems upon these assumptions. Every scientific conclusion, no matter how simple or complex, has come about in this fashion. These logical systems are continuously growing, being changed, and becoming more realistic as man strives to make his theories fit the observable universe. Buddhas teachings on emptiness say that, All dharmas are marked with emptiness. ALL dharmas, not most or some. So if we understand Interdependent Origination, there are no facts of science. Science is very helpful and very, very interesting, but when we look at science as facts, we are looking at the Emperors New Clothes. The Emperor was walking around naked! Nobody likes to be lied to, and Im sure that my parents didnt do it intentionally. It took me almost 60 years to realize that what I was taught wasnt the truth. Oh! Look at the Emperors beautiful new clothes! Better to realize it at 60 than not realize it at all. Ive only found one fact that doesnt change, and thats the truth.

There are animals trained to serve humans. Dogs, certain breeds of primates, cats, birdsand it is a most unique relationship at that. Figure that: these creatures are sorta tuned in to your (human) mental and emotional energiesour attitudes and personalities. So much so that they are able to, by instinct, grasp our most subtle ways of conduct, be it our tones of voice, bodily gestures. Amazingly, they can pick up when certain elements about our nature are about to changebefore the change occurs. Intriguing phenomenon this is. Humans, too, are able to intuit things about other humans. Unfortunately, we dont often take advantage of these natural gifts. Worst of all, we mystify them and treat them as something apart from our natural way of being, calling these natural aspects of our character ESP. Then breaking ESP down into its smallest parts, separating the parts into smaller parts, treating them all as if they are something outside of our natural makeup. The fact is There is always that that clairvoyance, clairausomething inside of dience, telekinesis, and other gifts are as natural us that tells us when we to us as is blinking our eyes, or breathing. are conducting One would think that since ourselves less than our these are natural for our human best toward construct as human beings, then we should have others and ourselves. little trouble being much more in tune with one another, to the point that we are fully capable of putting forth a much more focused effort in recognizing when our fellow human beings are not receiving our compassionate best. Do our attitudes affect non-human beings (viz: plants and animals)? What about inanimate objects like stones, soil, water air, houses, vehicles, etc.? Simple answer: YES! to all of the above. Yes. And since we know that our attitudes affect inanimate objects, how much so do our attitudes have an impact on our fellow human brothers and sisters. Think of it: something is seriously wrong with us when we are kinder, gentler, and more thoughtful of plants and animals than we are toward our fellow manminding how we conduct ourselves in the presence of animals, but caring less about our con(Continued on page 9)

(Continued from page 8)

duct in the presence of other human beings. Not displaying any negative attitudes so as not to provide dogs, cats, bears, moose, and snakes, yet quick are we to find the most hurtful, insulting, and dehumanizing things to say, do, and feel toward other humans feeling justified in doing sounder the false notion that such muck is for their own good. Humanity continues to grow in our understanding of compassion. One of the areas we are kinda-sorta fluctuating in is our understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings. This is not an easy thing to realize with the depth of a Buddha, Guru, Christ, or an Avatar. And, unlike the bears, the alligators, tortoises, and cockroaches, even though we are born with every instinct necessary for basic survival, as our caretakers, friends, and life coaches get hold of our minds, we change into something we later need to learn that we are not and are not born to be. The struggle to truly awaken to the god-sparks we are is a long and arduous adventure that somehow has a way of introducing us to what we look like when we are not at our human bestmainly when that lessthan-the-best part of us has digressed into some-

thing horrendous and unpleasing to look upon with our own eyes. Instinctively we just know we are much better than the way we choose to mistreat others. Like the bears, the poodles, billygoats, and pigeons, were born just as we are made to be. Human nature doesnt change, We change and twist in our minds what nature unashamedly is. Another (and most honorable) gift we are born with is compassion. We are born blessed with love and trust for others. With care and concern for the feelings of others. With consideration for the effects our thoughts, words, and deeds can have on one another. There is always that something inside of us that tells us when we are conducting ourselves less than our human best toward others and ourselves. There are no magical incantations, spells, and no amount of prayer necessary. Just STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, and FEEL before we think speak and act toward others. A genuine love for fellow man is encoded in the universe abroad and the universe within our beings. Were growing, and getting better. I think were growing closer, and getting closer to there. Our original nature. Brotherhood. Universal Brotherhoodnot just as a concept but a fact of life, living, and being. Peace, Love, and Blessings.

Passing Away
James Bettis (Clarinda, IA) Passing away is not hard Like a dandelion Its a beautiful flower Then goes to seed But the seeds blow on More dandelions appear As beautiful as the first Passing away is never the end Just the beginning of a new life

Now
Chad Frank (Butner, NC) No past no future only now.

Back to the Origin

Mujin (Travis L. Adams) (Sarasota, FL)

Sitting on a cliff Looking down upon The Rivers of Time Deep are the Valleys of Red Flowers The water drop falls between Heaven and Earth Wind blows upon the cliffs sharp edge As the sword of Manjushri Feel the Thunder! Smell the Earth, Time, Movement - Impermanence - Life Shuuuu.... Close your eyes, now you see Be still!! Feel the ancient Earth within you See the impermanence of Life Flash of lightening!! The sword of Manjushri lances your mind! Sitting on the cliffs of Time Back to the origin The Rivers flow, and the flowers are red Nothing else can be said.

It would not be correct to say that a young man in prison bears the whole responsibility for his crime. He is the product of his family, his schooling and his society. If we look deeply we may find that when he was younger, his parents often fought and caused each other and their child to suffer. Perhaps he was abused. Lacking love, lacking education, he tried to forget himself in drugs. With drugs, his ability to make good choices diminished even further. Committing a crime was the result. Looking deeply, we see that the conditions for this young man's actions did not arise only from his own mind and experiences. All of us bear some responsibility for creating the conditions that led him into the cycle of crime and addiction. If we only condemn and punish him, it will not help. People use drugs because they are in pain and want to run away from life. Putting someone who is suffering like this in prison is not the way to solve the problem. There has to be love and understanding, some means of bringing him back into life, offering him joy, clarity, and purpose. Thich Nhat Hanh, from Understanding Our Mind

10

10