UH Meditation Class 5 - Looking inwards

Last week I shared with you one well-known story between the famous Chinese scholar Su Dongpo and his good friend Zen Buddhist Master Foyin. This week, I told you another humorous yet illuminating story between the two.

One day, Su Dongpo and Zen Master foyin was meditating in the monastery. When they finished, Su asked Foyin, "what do you see in front of you?"

"An enlightened Buddha!" Fo Yin smiled, "and what do you see?"

"A pile of bull shit!" Su Dong Po was making fun of Fo Yin. Su and Foyin often debated on Buddhism and philosophy and Foyin always defeated Su. Su thought this time he won!

Su Dong Po went home with a light heart. At the door, he met his little sister. She asked why her brother looked so happy.

"Because I won this time."
"How?" his little sister asked.

Upon hearing the story, Su's sister commented,

"My dear brother, you lost again."

"What?" he protested.

"Foyin has reached the state of a Buddha's mind. That is why he saw you as a Buddha. On the other hand, you had nothing but bull shit in your heart. As a result, you saw everything else as shit"

Buddhism talks about cause and effect. When we look inward, we see that all sufferings are caused by us, not by some external, supernatural, or uncontrollable circumstances. When our mind is tranquil, we see things around us peaceful. Meditation helps us reach that tranquil state.

UH Meditation class 4‏ - Cultivating the mind

Su Dongpo (1036-1101) is one of the few figures in Chinese history who were masters of multiple artistic and literary disciplines. He was a great writer, artist and calligrapher. In addition, he was also a cultivator of Zen Buddhism. There were many interesting stories about him and his good friend Zen Buddhist Master Foyin. I shared with you this one today.

One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote this poem:

I bow to the heaven within heaven

I shower within the brightness of great wisdom

The eight winds cannot move me

For I always sit and stand still on the golden lotus


The "eight winds" in the poem refer to praise, ridicule, honor, disgrace, gain, loss, pleasure and misery - interpersonal forces of the material world that drive and influence all of us. Su Dongpo was saying that he had attained a higher level of enlightenment, where these forces no longer affected him. Can you imagine attaining this state of mind? It is very difficult to say the least.

Impressed by himself, Su Dongpo sent a servant to hand-carry this poem to Zen Master Foyin. He felt certain that his friend would be just as impressed. When Foyin read the poem, he only wrote one word on the manuscript and had it returned to Su Dongpo.

Su Dongpo was shocked when he saw what the Zen master had written. He became very angry. "How dare he insult me like this? He's got a lot of explaining to do!" Su Dongpo ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. Once there, he jumped off and charged into the temple. He wanted to find Foyin and demand an apology. He found Foyin's door closed. On the door was a piece of paper, with the following two lines:

The eight winds cannot move you

One fart blows you across the river

It turned out Zen Master Foyin had written the word "fart" on the manuscript. Evidently Foyin had anticipated Su Dongpo's visit too. Su Dongpo's anger suddenly drained away as he understood his friend's meaning. If he really was a man of spiritual refinement, completely unaffected by the eight winds, then how could he be so easily provoked?

How about you? Are you easily distracted by your emotions, things others said to you, things others did to you, expectations, desires, etc? Meditation helps us calm our mind down so we have the ability to examine ourselves. Am I really as calm as I thought I was? Am I really as compassion as I thought I was? Am I really who I thought I was? Look inwards and find the treasure within.

Continue the practice, patiently and persistently. Practice makes perfect!

Monk teaches patience, concepts – News

This Fall semester (2007), Master Jian Dan started a brand new Buddhist student organization on University of Houston campus – the Association of Buddhist Students. At the beginning, we tried various avenues to spread the words on campus about our free weekly meditation classes. We posted flyers, hung up banners and placed ads on campus newspaper. Our actions were noticed by the Daily Cougar, the campus newspaper at University of Houston. The Daily Cougar was intrigued by our new association and was very interested in interviewing the master. We setup the interview and met with the reporter at the library.

The reporter was a journalist student who was assigned this task by Daily Cougar. She came well prepared with her questions and her notes. The entire interview lasted for about an hour where the reporter asked many questions about the Master’s personal life as well as the future plan of the association. I particularly like this quote, “I dress in traditional clothes, but I still live in reality.” Want to know more about how this monk lives his daily life in 21st century reality? Come to our weekly meeting and find out for yourself!

Here is the original report copied and pasted from Daily Cougar

He wears a long robe, his head is shaved, and he listens to his iPod as he walks to class.

In some ways, venerable Dan Jian, Buddhist monk and psychology student at UH, is just a typical college student.

"I dress in traditional clothes, but I still live in reality," Dan said. "I use the Internet, I blog. I drive cars."

Dan began to explore Buddhism years ago in Taiwan while he was still in high school.
"When I was a teenager, I tried to seek religion," Dan said. "I felt more comfortable with Buddhism. I don't think it's a religion, it's a lifestyle."

Dan studied Buddhism at a Buddhist institute in Taiwan, where he practiced meditation for four hours a day. He wanted to share his experience, and he moved to Texas six years ago to work at Jade Buddha Temple in southwest Houston, built in 1989.

"Houston is very multi-cultural. It's interesting to learn about each other," Dan said.
Dan began studying psychology at UH three years ago because of the connection he
sees between psychology and Buddhism.

"I think psychology is close to Buddhism," Dan said. "Psychology is trying to discover everybody's psyche, so it's close because in Buddhism we emphasize … (the) mind's function."

Dan, a monk for 12 years, said that meditation, one of the basic concepts of Buddhism, is the way to change. "If you want to change your thinking, it is difficult,
but it is through meditation that it's possible," Dan said.

It is this focus on meditation that prompted Dan to offer meditation classes through the UH Association of Buddhist Students this year. The classes started on Aug. 29 and are every Wednesday at noon in the UC Lone Star Room.

Dan said the club was established by two students last year, but began offering the classes this year. "We teach the students to understand how to practice meditation," Dan said. "We try to use meditation to have change - to make society more stable, more peaceful. It's a different concept for Americans."

One of the group's founders, Grace Lin, graduated from UH last year and is using her degree in instructional technology to continue working at UH through grant-related
projects. "I helped start the organization. I believe it is extremely
important to provide UH, a multicultural, multi-ethnicity university, (with) yet
another spiritual option," Lin said.

Lin said that every student can benefit from learning meditation techniques.
"Everyone wants happiness and peace, but we struggle to find it or struggle to find a way to find it," Lin said. "Meditation is the practice that asks us to look inwards, examine our own emotions, and cultivate the moment-to-moment awareness of our true self, with the end goal to be the master of our own mind."

Music senior Ryan Donaghy sees the meditation classes as an opportunity for personal growth that also fit his busy schedule as a student. "(It's) a unique chance to practice on campus and meet other Buddhists," Donaghy said. "It's a convenient way to practice meditation while on campus."

About 20 students attend the weekly classes, but Dan said that many have been asking for more available times for the classes. "Many students would like to attend but cannot because it does not fit their class times," Dan said. "I would like to add more times, but right now it's so busy with school."

In addition to teaching meditation classes and his own studies, Dan is busy trying to adjust to life in the United States. "English is my second language. I've been learning it for three or four years, but it is difficult," Dan said. "I use my iPod to download English lessons."

Dan said he also uses technology, like his iPod, as a way to build relationships with young college students. "They are always surprised to see that I have one, and they always check my music list," Dan said. "I use technology to maintain my mind and keep it young."

Despite his use of technology, Dan's traditional way of dress still leads to others having some misconceptions about him. "This summer, I went to California, and some kids asked me to show them some kung fu moves," he said. "I told them, 'Don't trust the movies.'"

However, Dan's appearance can also be an advantage. "It's a symbol, and I think people respect that," Dan said. "One time I was driving too fast and a policeman pulled me over, but then he saw my robe, and I told him I was on my way to a funeral where everyone was waiting for me. He let me go without a ticket."

Although there are difficult moments, Dan enjoys his work and said he hopes to build friendships with students at UH and have a positive effect on their lives through the meditation classes. "I have always loved working with children and younger people," he said. "When I was younger, I wanted someone to understand me."

UH Meditation Class 3‏ - Living the present moment

When practicing meditation, we train our mind to focus on the present moment, not on what happened yesterday or on what is about to happen tomorrow. Today someone asked a very good question: When I drove to school today, I had to think– oh I need to go to meditation at noon. If I don't think about it, how will I come?

So I shared with you a well-known Zen story about two monks and a beautiful woman.

An older monk and a younger monk were traveling together and they reached a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman was afraid to cross the river because she might slip and be carried downstream. She asked if one of the monks might help her across.

The older monk carried this woman on his shoulder, crossed the river and let her down on the other bank. The younger monk was shocked and disturbed. In the Chinese Buddhist tradition, monks should refrain himself/herself from any physical contact with the opposite sex.

After several days, the younger monk finally cannot stand the thought any longer. He came to the older monk and asked, "How could you break your vows and carry that woman on your shoulders?"

The older monk replied, "I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still."

What does this story mean to you? How does this story relate to your meditation practice? We practice the moment to moment mindfulness in daily life. When a thought arises, we take notice and let it go. Do not attach to it nor follow it. Mindfulness is the acute awareness of the reality as is, not as was or as will be.

Continue the practice, patiently and persistently. Practice makes

UH Meditation Class 2 - Be the master of your mind

Where is Heaven? Where is Hell? If they exist, can you show it to me?

Today I shared with you a Zen story, a conversation between a Zen Master and a Zen disciple.

The Master slapped the disciple
The disciple became very angry and drew his sword, ready to kill the Master
"This is Hell." said the Master
The disciple was suddenly enlightened and felt gratitude and ashamed
"This is Heaven," said the Master

Heaven and Hell are states of mind, not places we go after life. When we meditated at UC today, loud music was going on outside. It could be Hell for you since it distracted your concentration. If the music made you angry, you were then in Hell. However, if you could focus your attention on the company of the members, and the positive energy we shared, you were in Heaven. Can you find similar examples in your daily life?

To be the master of our mind, we have to learn how to control it. Meditation is the process of gaining control of our true self. Continue the practice, patiently and persistently. Practice makes perfect!