Confession of a Buddhist Teacher

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Neon Dharma

Zen in the jaws of the lion

From Vegas Seven Magazine

By Joseph Langdon

December 8th, 2011

Photos by Hamesh Shahani

The MGM lion, that great golden idol of so many earthy desires, long dominated the view from the Zen Center’s old home in an industrial park on Dean Martin Drive. Not your typical ambiance. And yet, when Zen master Seung Sahn paid a visit, the renowned Korean founder of the Kwan Um school declared: “The jaws of the lion is a wonderful place to practice Zen!”

“What he was saying was that Vegas is wonderful because it’s not hiding anything,” says the Zen Center’s abbot, Thom Pastor. “‘Desire mind’—sex, drugs, gambling, alcohol—all of it is right here. There’s no pretense. No trying to hide it or veil it, it just is what it is. [Zen master Seung Sahn] told me, ‘If you can find your center here, then going anywhere is no problem.’”

We talk cross-legged on the floor of the Zen Center’s new digs, pretty little whitewashed buildings with blue trim at Harmon and Eastern avenues. The center moved here in 2009, thanks in part to the collapse in housing prices (call it karma). It has 18 pine trees and a sculpted pool out back (although one of the new waterfalls is on the fritz). Inside, members of the 50-person congregation chant, bow and sit in silent meditation. The room is simple, though not austere, and is dominated by a large golden statue—not the MGM lion, but the Buddha in his serene pose.

Pastor, 65, has a wide grin and a shorn head. His presence is at once avuncular and intimidating. He has a tendency to whack interlocutors on the thigh with a short stick, especially when they’re trying to take accurate notes.

This is Las Vegas’ very own Zen master—and his path to the Buddha goes straight through the heart of Sin City.

In a previous incarnation, Pastor was a master sax player (among 10 other woodwinds). He toured the world with the likes of Humperdinck, Anka and Tom Jones before settling down in 1973 to spend 15 years on the Strip playing behind Frank Sinatra and other headliners as part of the Caesars Palace house orchestra.

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a being who attains enlightenment but decides to stick around here for a while to help out the rest of us bums. Now, I’m not saying Sinatra was one of these guys, but he did help Pastor down the path, in a manner of speaking. Pastor started to explore Zen as an antidote to those swingin’ nights on the Strip, when he was seeking an alternative to the musician’s traditional stress-reliever, the between-show cocktail. And he found that high-stakes musicianship can be good training for Zen.

Case in point: his first rehearsal with Sinatra at the old Circus Maximus. The famously temperamental Chairman of the Board only played with musicians he trusted, so when he noticed a new face in the woodwinds, Sinatra suddenly announced that he’d be conducting the first set of tunes himself. “Frank came and put one foot up on the riser right in front of me and said, ‘OK, fellas, here it is,’ and started conducting,” Pastor says. Sinatra stayed there, looming over him and reading along with his music while he played. After getting through the tricky intro to “I’ve Got the World on a String,” Sinatra passed the baton back to the conductor; the lead alto leaned over to Pastor and said, “Congratulations, you just passed the audition.”

That audition, a one-on-one gut-check with the big guy, is not too unlike the Zen tradition of “dharma combat,” in which the student must respond intuitively, with moment-mind, to challenges posed by the master. In 2002, Pastor survived dharma combat with five Zen masters, the last step in a 20-year process of study, retreats and training to become only one of 40 master dharma teachers worldwide in the Kwan Um School of Zen.

Pastor doesn’t view his new life as a break with his old one—he still finds time to perform in addition to abbot duties here and in centers in Madison, Wis., and Fairbanks, Alaska, and he just cut an album,Sleeping Lions, at the Straight Up Martini Lounge with his jazz outfit, B3 Conspiracy. Besides, Buddhism is about the oneness of all things, and that includes Las Vegans and all its denizens, too. And with times tough and looking to get tougher, a lot of us could do with a dose of the dharma. In a delightfully ironic metaphor, Pastor calls Buddhism the “Rolls-Royce teaching” about how to be happier with less. All you need is “moment-mind—not getting lost in your thinking, but being present in this moment.”

That is the “bone of the teaching” that runs through all forms of Buddhism, and it fits the Vegas experience perfectly. From my new, more enlightened perspective, the Strip looks less like a Buddhist obstacle course and more like a training course. Anyone here can see that nothing is permanent, not a hot streak, nor the city itself. And we are bombarded by reminders that grasping is endless—the promise of this place is that there will always be more to desire. If you are convinced that a jackpot will end your suffering, you will likely depart burdened with bad karma and calls from collection agents. Instead, just open your eyes and take it all in: You’ll probably have a decent time whether you hit blackjack or go bust.

“Gain and loss are just opposites,” Pastor says. “Winning the lottery or losing all your money at the craps table—both have no meaning. The fan above you is whirring. The floor is brown. The Buddha is gold. That’s my teaching to you. No more, no less. If you get caught in gain and loss, then you are a slave to your mind and to all things. If you attain pure mind, then complete freedom is available to you.”

The Zen master falls silent, then chuckles. “Doesn’t help the economy here, though!”

Continued Vandalism in Buddhist Temples

Bodhisattva statue sprayed with red paint at Gaeun-sa Temple in Busan City Korea

Four temples near Haeundae (Busan city) have been vandalized in the early morning of November 21st, enraging many Buddhist communities throughout Korea. Vandalism was reportedly to have taken place on the 21 st , between 12am and 4 am. The suspected culprit is assumed to have entered Busan Gaeun-sa Temple and Jirim-sa Temple and sprayed red paint on important Buddha and Bodhisattva statues enshrined within the temple. The vandal sprayed red paints on Buddha statues in Gaeun-sa Temple, and broke in to the main Buddha Hall in Jirim-sa Temple by breaking a large window glass. The culprit sprayed ‘s’ and ‘x’ mark on Buddha statues, Buddhist paintings, and Stupas. Moreover, they even sprayed on Moktak (Wooden Fish) and Buddhist Scriptures before they fled.

The Abbot of Jirim-sa Temple, who first discovered the problem when he entered the main Buddha hall for the Morning Prayer, stated that the culprit must have entered the temple after he fell asleep after midnight. The Haeundae police investigating the case stated that the similar case which took place on November 16 and 17 matches the crime of Jeokjo-am Temple and Wono-sa Temple, thus it is most likely that the temples were vandalized by the same person. Haeundae Police Department stated, “The culprit is deliberately trying to undermine Buddha statues, and the crime have been planned intentionally,” and added “scientific investigation and CCTV analysis will narrow down the investigation. To prevent further damage to the nearby temples, more guards will safeguard the temples.” However, vandalism taken place on the later date occurred despite the strengthened police patrols, therefore concern for safety is growing among Korean Buddhist community. On November 22 nd , Ven. Mokjong (Chairman of Buddhist Monastery, Haeundae Police department), Ven. Boun (Director, Department of Regulation in Beomeo-sa Temple), and Ven. Gwangjin (President, Haeundae Temple Alliance) met with the Chief of Police, Mr. Jeongjingyu (Haeundae Police Station) to state their position, “We hope that the police department will come up with definite crime prevention measures to avoid such indiscriminating vandalism in the future"

Giving Thanks for Freedom

care for some pepper on Thanksgiving?

earth from space

I saw this video today and wanted to share it. Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 on board the International Space Station from August to October, 2011, who to my knowledge shot these pictures at an altitude of around 250 miles.


What stands out are the auroras and the actual 'thinness' of the atmosphere. In relation to the size of the planet our atmosphere is rather thin, also the auroras are an expression of the earths magnetic field interacting with cosmic rays that would kill life on this planet. We truly live in a fragile ocean of life, it is quite humbling to be able to see such a magnificent view of our world. 


I am so small I can barely be seen.
How can this great love be inside me?
Look at your eyes, they are small but they
see enormous things.

Jelaludin Rumi

WARRIORS, TOMBS AND TEMPLES: CHINA`S ENDURING LEGACY

Our wonderful local Orange County Museum, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, has some great exhibitions from China going on right now. If you are in or near Orange County you will want to make sure to catch these rare finds.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 - SUNDAY, MARCH 04, 2012

Follow this exhibition through the underworld empires of three of the most formative dynasties in Chinese history: the Qin, the Han and the Tang, each a high point of culture and technology, looked back to with pride by Chinese people and admired by others today. The treasures that accompanied China’s rulers and elites in the afterlife, and the spectacular gold and silver offerings placed in their temples, speak to the incredible accomplishments of an ancient culture whose descendants still live on today.

The exhibition features the famous life-size terra cotta warriors, protector of China’s first emperor Qin Shihuangdi, whose mausoleum complex is considered the eighth wonder of the world. Newly excavated, the painted garments and armor are clearly visible thanks to new conservation techniques. Smaller in scale but equally impressive are some of the more than 40,000 smiling terra cotta warriors from the imperial tomb compounds of Han emperors Gaozu and Jingdi. They are presented in combination with concubines, animals and a multitude of objects that insured a lavish and comfortable afterlife.

The royal and elite tombs from the Tang Dynasty were stocked with riches clearly tied to the trade of exotic goods along the Silk Road. Dazzling gold ornaments, tomb guardians, a mural depicting a game of polo and many other luxuries illustrate the taste of Tang elites and the era’s connection with the West. And, for the first time in the United States, come gold, silver and gemstone treasures deposited into the treasure-crypt of the Famen Monastery by six Tang Dynasty emperors and China’s only female emperor Wu Zhao. This important Buddhist site, sealed in 874 of the Tang Dynasty and rediscovered in 1987, was founded with the fragment of the historical Buddha’s finger bone. The reliquaries associated with the sacred relic are part of this exhibition.

ANCIENT ARTS OF CHINA: A 5000 YEAR LEGACYONGOING


Journey back through 5000 years of Chinese history and follow the efflorescence of arts throughout one of the world’s oldest living civilizations. From large painted ceramic pots used during the Neolithic period, to sculptures of camels and horses made at the height of the Silk Road, to beautiful embroidered silk court robes and ivory carvings from the 19th century, this exhibition presents the importance of fine art made to be admired during life and depended on in the afterlife.

MASTERS OF ADORNMENT: THE MIAO PEOPLE OF CHINAONGOING


This important collection of exquisite textiles and silver jewelry on loan to and from the Bowers Museum’s permanent collection highlights the beauty and wealth of the Miao peoples of southwest China.

Symbols of status and culture, the elaborate textiles in this exhibition include finely pleated skirts, complex batik pattered cloth, intricate silk embroidery and shining textiles woven with metal. Over 50 examples of ornately designed and created silver bracelets, necklaces and decorative ornaments compliment and complete the exhibition of late 19th and 20th century Miao regalia. More than an examination of masterful techniques and beautiful style these objects reveal hundreds of years of Miao history and tradition and, the patience and dedication to achieve beauty.

World Population Poised to Hit 7 Billion.

BY: LARISA EPATKO

On Monday, a baby will be born somewhere and demographers will proclaim that the world's population has reached 7 billion. That's good news and bad news, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released Wednesday.

People are living longer and leading healthier lives. But there are plenty of worries that the globe may not have enough food and water to sustain rapidly growing populations.

The date itself, Monday, is a symbolic one, extrapolated from census data, surveys and population registers, but the implications are real, the United Nations says. (Read the U.N. Population Fund's full report.)

Even though fertility rates are lower than in the past, the population is still expected to rise naturally through what is known as population momentum, said Richard Kollodge, editor of the U.N. report.

Each incremental growth of a billion takes less and less time. Those increases are attributable to positive factors, said Kollodge. "People are healthier; they're living longer. Child mortality is down. This relatively recent surge in population growth for the most part can be seen as good news."

View past and projected global population growth:

In South Asia and Africa, population growth is most prolific. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have high population growth rates and high fertility rates but low economic growth rates, which can be problematic, said Kollodge. "The population is growing faster than the government's ability to meet the need for services, education and health. Economic growth isn't keeping up with population growth," so the countries become poorer.

In the middle-income countries -- mainly in Latin America -- population growth has stabilized, he said. But they still face challenges of rapid urbanization and people moving in and out of the countries quickly, which governments are trying to manage.

Asia's population, currently at 4.2 billion, is expected to remain the highest during the 21st century, according to the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Photo of Dotombori, the entertainment district of Osaka, Japan, by photholic.com via Flickr Creative Commons.

But even while the world's population is growing, in some wealthy industrialized countries -- including several European nations and Japan -- populations are shrinking because fertility rates are not high enough to replace population losses. That means there aren't enough young people entering the work force to sustain economic growth and pension systems are receiving less funding to support the elderly, said Kollodge.

"They're also dealing with issues of migration and asking questions of, 'If our populations are shrinking, should we invite more people from other countries to come in and meet labor shortages?'" he said.

The U.N. report makes some recommendations for addressing population challenges, such as giving women access to reproductive health services, education and good jobs. "When women are educated and healthy, they choose to have smaller families, and when they do have smaller families, their children end up being healthier," said Kollodge.

Africa's population is expected to more than triple, from 1 billion in 2011 to 3.6 billion in 2100, according to the United Nations. Photo by Novartis AG via Flickr Creative Commons.

The report also recommends investing in youth. About 1.8 billion young people, between the ages of 10 and 24, live around the world now, he said. "That's the largest youth cohort in human history. So we're advocating for making sure that all these young people have education, that they're all in good health and free of HIV, that they have opportunities, that they are empowered to drive our future economies."

But all of that takes money. Sexual reproductive health initiatives alone -- an action plan was proposed at a 1994 population summit of 179 countries -- would cost $68 billion in 2011. Countries agreed to pay $34 billion and international donors $10.8 billion, but that left a nearly $25 billion gap, Kollodge said.

The elderly also are a growing segment of the population, raising the challenge of who will take care of them and how social security programs will be funded. "But also look at the flip side -- let's not create a world where the elderly are only dependent," but are active and independent and continuing to contribute to their communities, he said.

"Those are big challenges and it's better to plan for them now because the world is only going to grow older in the years ahead," he said.

And depending on fertility rates, the next milestone birthday -- when the world hits 8 billion people -- might be as soon as 2025.

Clear Eyed View on Suffering

Rev. Paul Yuanzhi Lynch, Bruce Ohjok Foley, HJN and Thom Kwanjok Pastor, JDPSN in April of 2011

I want to share a letter I recently received from a very close friend. He has lived a checkered path as many of us have. He was a ‘tough guy’ growing up in the back streets of Boston, and eventually became a United States Marine. Following his experience with the military, he returned and decided that a life of contemplation might help his dismal life. He entered a Catholic Carthusian monastery and led a cloistered life for many years.

A longing in his soul caused him to leave this path and to re-enter lay life. He became a Zen Practitioner many years ago and this is where our paths crossed.  I have known him for about fifteen years and we have celebrated successes and failures together. Through it all we have maintained a firm bond on what the essence of life and experience is.

My friend has recently fallen upon hard times, both personally, economically and physically. He has two herniated discs and spends his days lying on the kitchen floor taking all kinds of pain killers just trying to find this moment. We have been discussing this lately, he lost his job, faces eviction, and can’t really function the way he would like. Considering all of this, I would like to share his wonderful insights into ‘true’ practice with everyone. I couldn’t say more clearly, so I will let my friend say it to you.

My Dear Brother Paul,

Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement and acceptance. I will pull through, with your blessing and those of others who I have met to be “altruistic” along the spiritual journey. My material needs will come and go. I have known both near poverty and a taste of being idle, with money to spare. It ebbs and flows. Somehow, the Universe provides and in it all, rich or poor, the Inner Man remains the same, like a rock in a raging river rapids, or shallow slow moving quiet brook. The waters change. The rock stays still. The essential man is untouched by externals. That’s the thing I’ve learned time and again. The litmus test, if you will, of just where we are at, in the spiritual life.

Christ, a Zen Master if there ever was, says as much, in speaking of impermanence and tribulation: “And on that day, you will then come to know, whether you have built your house on rock or sand.” Our inner humanity is best revealed in trial and upheaval. We have all been there. Especially people like us, who have taken the path seriously, no matter what tradition. It is all the same. We know it is easy to cruise into our practice when the bills are paid. When there is some extra cash to travel a bit, eat at some nice restaurants and drink from the golden cup. But..lo..a day may come and it usually does, when the scene shifts and we find ourselves in need. We look around and realize, “Hey, I’m not on top anymore.” (This was not in the brochure!) If this shift rocks us beyond a very human and acceptable concern, then we see that we really have not digested what spiritual detachment truly means. We have not quite got it. These shifts are our teachers.

This is what Christ meant if I can paraphrase Him, “Watch out followers, especially you monks and teachers of the Path, because, some day, a wind will blow and you had better be prepared for a change. You had better be ready to walk the talk, or you will be exposed. You’ll either find yourself standing on the solid ground of all that you have learned in your practice and inner life experiences, or, you’ll come tumbling down in a landslide of sand, only to be blown away like dust because you failed to build your inner life properly.” Here, I suppose, Jesus is also saying, “Don’t be wasting time on stupid shit, because you got a foundation to build on, and it’s one never really quite finished. You can slack off and cruise, and that is O.K., a man needs some rest. However, do not get too comfortable. Do not kid yourself. Keep mixing that mortar and laying those bricks because you never know when that storm will hit.” My point being, I think we can only manage loss and suffering to the degree that we build our inner ground, because ultimately, that is where the storm will come to rip us up. It will challenge our emotional stability. It will challenge our composure in the face of crisis. It will challenge our thought process and reveal, a quiet, strong mind, or, one tossed in every direction. Recently, I took a storm as such. O.K., so I bitched and moaned a bit, but I can also say that the years given to practice built a strong enough foundation of the inner human that I did not topple over like a sand castle. Therefore, it really does pay off to practice. (I know you know this. I am just sitting with my brother reflecting, not preaching.)

My Grandpa, (Died at 96) an old blue blood Yankee, a northern Maine farmer, was a sort of Zen master. You know the type. Wise, quiet and strong, one of those old-timers that are better listeners than talkers, but when they spoke, Boom! Their words hit you like a thunderbolt. I am still learning, all the time. All the time a beginner. I am learning to not only listen again, as a good monk should, but also to see that if I do not let go of needing and wanting to control it all, I suffer even more. If you grab the Tigers tail, he will take you for a ride, or worse, turn around and rip you up. It is nothing new, non-clinging. Detachment. No holding. No desire to control. Its like, “I see you Old Man Suffering, you cunning bastard, but guess what? I am not your boy. I am not buying it today, or tomorrow. Take it somewhere else. You’d love to see me take your hand and walk with you, see me come undone, but see, I got this secret inside me, the Pearl of Great Price-years of Practice that tell me you are a fraud and when you’ve had enough of your attempts to make me miserable, mean and nasty, you’ll leave me alone. You’ll leave because I never took hold of your hand in the first place.”

So, what do we do with our suffering? Where does it really come from? Who asks me to hold onto it? In addition, who says it is permanent? Ahh, I hear Paul saying: “Don’t make anything. Do not check. Don’t hold.” Yes, Pop Sa Nim, many bows..

I am not in the market. I am not buying. I am going to a place I know well. A place where it’s warm, welcoming and where the winds can blow all they want, but the walls will stand, the foundation is laid strong.

This morning, I saw wind and rain outside my window and dark clouds hover above me. Tonight, the sky is wide and clear. The stars shine brightly in midnight blue. A gentle breeze strokes my face and my cat, Master Zhaozhou yawns, rolls over to sleep. I slip in beside him gently, and together, we know, just this.

My love and peace is yours Paul,

Oh Jok, Haeng Ja Nim 

Noted ghazal singer Jagjit Singh dead at 70

As Many of you know, I have been a fan of Jagjit Singh for many years, I loved his melodic voice and was saddened to hear that he had passed away. Below is the story, he will be missed by many. I had the opportunity to see him live in Long Beach several years ago.

Mumbai: Acclaimed ghazal singer Jagjit Singh died on Monday in Mumbai. The 70-year old was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati hospital after he suffered brain hemorrhage last month. He underwent two surgeries and was on life support.

Born on February 8, 1941, 'the ghazal king' was a singer, composer, activist and entrepreneur. He has sung in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali. Jagjit Singh entered the music circuit at a time which was primarily dominated by Pakistani ghazal singers, and Indian singers were considered relatively lesser authentic than their Pakistani counterparts.

Unlike other ghazal singers, Singh did not hesitate in lending his voice for films. His silky voice ruled during early 80's in films like Prem Geet, Saath Saath and Arth. However, his major work is spread over more than 60 filmy and non filmy albums.

Jagjit Singh was also known for modern approach and infusion of technology in the traditional art of ghazal singing. Singh was the first Indian music director to use the technique of multi-track recording for his album 'Beyond Time'.

Recipient of Padma Bhushan award, Jagjit Singh was the man behind making the ghazal genre available and understandable to all. Prior to Singh, ghazal singing was considered as an elite art, which was difficult for the common mass to understand due to high class Urdu and Persian.

Jagjit Singh broke this myth by coming up with songs such as 'Kaagaz ki kashti', 'Chaak jigar ke', 'Kal chadhanvi ki raat thi', and 'Shaam se aankh me name si hai'. He mixed the words of legends like Ghalib, Qateel Shifai, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Nida Fazli and Sudarshan Faakir with melodious indigenous tunes and achieved a state where nothing came in between him and his listeners.

Later when television started showcasing music videos, he was among one of the prominent members of the music fraternity to avail the facility. He again came up with brilliant albums such as 'Face to Face', 'Marasim', 'Aaeena', and 'Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin'.

Jagjit Singh had also given his voice for ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee poems in the albums 'Nayi Disha' and 'Samvedna'.

Jagjit Singh is survived by his wife Chitra Singh, with whom he had produced several record breaking albums. Their only son Vivek Singh had died in a road accident in 1990.

Heineken "The Date"

This may seem a bit weird to many of my readers, but so be it. I am often intrigued by the obtuse and strange. The new Heineken ad, titled 'The Date' is a legendary date in action and highlights some interesting music as its backdrop. The video is here:

I found it interesting that the video appears to be taking place somewhere in China and yet the music is some strange Hindi song being sung by a fusion Ventures Rock and Jazz Band. So I had to know what the source of the video's song was and I was able to discover it. I discovered, this song came out in 1965 and sounds like a combination of a Hindi Movie song made by the Ventures who just happened to get together with one of the big bands from the 1950's and was sung in a mysterious Hindi language. 


So why an Indian ballad in Chinese Restaurant, I cannot answer this. But if you watch the original video you might see some of the inspiration that Quentin Tarantino may have found for 'Pulp Fiction' and "Kill Bill." The masks in the video remind me of the "Batman" series that was so over the top campy in the sixties in America. I didn't have the chance to experience this back in 1965 but I thought I'd share it with you all anyway.





The song's video was shot in a disco and features Laxmi Chhaya. The song also appears in the opening credits of the 2001 movie Ghost World. In an interview, Ghost World writer Daniel Clowes mentions that he obtained his 20th generation copy of the scene from someone who had been housesitting for Peter Holsapple, guitarist and songwriter for The dB's, and he copied it from Peter's collection. Then they approached the sons of the producers and acquired the rights to use the song in the movie. The Ghost World DVD features the entire music video from the movie.

The song, with similar costumes and choreography, also appears in the Cullberg Ballet's rendition of Ekman’s Triptych.

Here are the Hindi lyrics with literal translation in the brackets.

"Jaan Pehechan Ho, Jeena Aasaan Ho,
Dil Ko Churane Walon, Aankh Na Churao,
Naam To Batao.. (2)"

(If I knew you, living would be easy.
All you heart-stealers, don’t hide your eyes too
at least tell me your name.)

"Aaj Ki Yeh Shaam Javan, Yun Na Chali Jaaye,
Phir Se Na Aayegi Yeh Kisi Ke Bulaaye"

(May this wonderful evening, Not pass unavailed,
For it will not return on anyone’s call)

"Bolo Yeh Na Bolo Tum, Hogaye Ishaare,
Seedhi Seedhi Chot Huyi Dil Pe Humaare.."

(Whether you speak or not, your message is clear,
The hard blow fell Right on my heart)

"Chup Chup Dekha Dekhi, Nazaren Diwani,
Zara Si Yeh Baat Ban Jaaye Na Kahani.."

(Stolen glances, Impassioned looks,
Let this small matter Not become a huge tale)

Zen in Las Vegas

My Best Friend and fellow Zen Teacher, Thom Kwanjok Pastor, JDPSN, was featured in an article today in the Las Vegas Weekly.

Founder of the Zen Center of Las Vegas shares his journey

Kristen Peterson

Wed, Sep 28, 2011 (4 p.m.)

Thom Pastor meditates inside the Zen Center of Las Vegas

Photo: Leila Navidi

Thom Pastor is the founder and abbot of the Zen Center of Las Vegas, a meditation and teaching space on East Harmon Avenue. When not in Las Vegas, he leads Zen retreats in Asia and North America, including Madison, Wisconsin, where he is guiding teacher for the Isthmus Zen Center.

The Weekly spoke with Pastor—a dharma teacher since 1994 and musician who’s played with Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra—at the Zen Center, which recently completed its outdoor meditation garden with walking paths, an altar, bamboo trees and a turtle pond.

How did you get here? In college in Boston back in the ’60s I used to read, and was fascinated with Eastern philosophy. At some point I realized I could be 70 years old and still hanging around the Eastern philosophy section at Barnes & Noble, searching for that one seed to bear fruit. The catalyst for it was when my brother died in his sleep. He was a young man. I came to see very clearly the genesis of human suffering—the arrogance, the manipulation, the wanting something. I went to the Zen Center of Los Angeles and met Zen Master Seung Sahn.

You were raised Catholic in New Jersey. Why Zen? No dogma. Zen cuts all the mental constructs out from under you and you’ve got nothing, and in that nothing is profound wisdom. No meaning is profound meaning.

How do you balance Zen with a music career? I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston and we’d play jazz where the music should be spontaneous and also in the moment. I wanted to be completely present so I wasn’t reliant on my patterns and scales. I was listening to others. Being in the moment musically is important, whether it be a symphony orchestra playing Mahler’s Second Symphony or a jazz trio.

Can you sum up your music career? I had a rock ‘n’ roll band after graduation. A Blood, Sweat and Tears/Chicago-type band. It was an exciting time. We toured and I met my wife at Lake Tahoe King’s Castle and we were married. She was a New York City Rockette on vacation and decided to stay. In the ’70s, I traveled as a musician and played 11 woodwind instruments. I went on the road with Paul Anka, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. In Las Vegas I worked in the showrooms behind Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. I worked in lounges and really small clubs, which I liked because it was locals.

How did you become a Zen teacher? Being a teacher never occurred to me. That’s aspiring. A Zen master tells you if you’re to be a teacher. And when you’re being prepared to be a teacher, they look at you under a microscope, at how you live your life and how you do things. I studied 16 years until inka. It’s the hardest Ph.D. program going.

Characterize human suffering. We create suffering in this world by thoughts of, “Here I am, this is where I want to be.” We’re always projecting outward. We’re clouded by “I, my, me.” By getting rid of judgmental thought, we get back to the essence of who we are, which is compassion. Most people want to be a better person. There are a lot of self-help books. But meditation is just like taking an onion and peeling away myriad transparent layers and relinquishing our desire mind. Anger is a poison. By seeing it, it begins to melt. You don’t have to deal with it or give it energy. Just see it.

What about physical suffering or death? This life guarantees us nothing. We come empty handed. We leave empty handed. We are a temporary manifestation of energy. These bodies we inhabit are like rental cars, something we have to trade in.

Why meditate together? All sects of Buddhism teach together action because you are less apt to get up when the phone rings or when something interesting comes on TV or you get hungry. In the beginning, the discipline isn’t there.

What’s it like hanging with monks? Fun. Hysterical. Funny stuff. Jokes. I think it’s their way of spending all the dharma gasoline from meditating.

Do you love it? I’m grateful for having been born a human being, exposed to the dharma and having a keen-eyed teacher. Everything is spiritual in Zen. Brushing your teeth is a spiritual act, washing your face is a spiritual act.

source: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/sep/28/zen-las-vegas/

Documentary: Zen Furnace

This is well produced video on transplanting Zen in rural America. Zen Furnace examines a group of Zen Buddhists in rural Eastern Kentucky. Hidden away inside the mountains is the Furnace Mountain Zen Retreat Center. Led by Zen Master Dae Gak. The retreat center and the Zen Buddhists have lived peacefully in the Appalachian mountains for 25 years now. After 25 years locals of the region still have many doubts and thoughts of what occurs on the mountain.

Buddhist Choir

This is a very interesting Video as I have never seen a Buddhist Choir before. The lyrics are written by Seon Master Dae Haeng who is the spiritual head and founder of all HanMaUm Seon (Zen) Centers of the Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism worldwide.


So, I thought I'd share it with everyone. Changing, changing, changing, is the way of the world.

Should Creationism Ever Be Taught in Schools

 I don't have a lot to say about these two videos with the exception of the banter back and forth. It is interesting that each of the speakers are quick to point out when others judge them; however, they are all blind to their own comments which are in sometimes extreme judgement of others. This is what happens when we attach so strongly to our opinions that we follow them blindly. There are a few high points in the videos, but I will leave that to the viewer/reader.

today

Today, like every other day,
we wake up empty and frightened.
Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Rumi

Causal Conditions

Every practitioner should, at first, establish the correct causal conditions. For instance, the Five Precepts, the Ten Virtues, the Twelve Dependent Origination's, and Six Paramitas are not, in fact, true causal conditions. Instead, you should firmly believe that your own mind is the Buddha, and if you can completely cut off  deluded thoughts, incalculable kalpas will become completely transparent. This is the right causal condition.


Son Master Bojo Jinul

Doban (friends on the path)

The great reformer of Modern Korean Buddhism was Seon Master Gyeongheo Seongu (鏡虛惺牛)

What is the purpose of our practice?
It is to cultivate meditation and wisdom together,
To be born in the Tushita Heaven together,
To attain true enlightenment life after life together,
As fellow practitioners who will help those who lag behind
When someone attains enlightenment ahead of the others,
And, most of all, not to forsake our noble resolution
If anyone is interested in our resolution and wishes to join us,
We will welcome them,
whether they be a monk or a lay person,
Whether one is male or female,
Whether one is old or young,
Whether one is wise or foolish,
Whether one is noble or mean,
Whether one is friendly or aloof,
Whether one is in accord with us or against us,
Whether one is away from us or near us,
Whether one is our senior or junior.

We are all innate Buddhas with countless virtues within.
The only difference among us is that
Some did not have the chance to receive teachings
From a great enlightened Master for eons so as to be free
From the Three Spheres of Life in this realm of birth and death.

Mangong's Inka Ceremony

The Master gives a letterless seal to the disciple Susan Wolmyeon,
Hits the Dharma staff once,
then says, "‘These words are nothing more than what they say.’
Now, tell me what that means."

The Master hits the Dharma staff once again and says,
"‘One laughs and doesn't know where it has gone to.’
Now, tell me what that means."

"The color of the sea of Anmyeon Island in spring Is dark green,"
says the Master,
Who then drops the staff and comes down from the platform. "A-hem!

Seon Master Gyeongheo

Buddhist Geeks and Sweeping Zen

Richard Maurice Bucke
(18 March 1837 – 19 February 1902) from Wikipedia

Over on Zen Forum International one of the moderators, Seigen, asked the following question.

Buddhist Geeks has a project that is very different than, for example, Adam Tebbe, also a young man who began his own website, Sweeping Zen, in the year after Buddhist Geeks began. Where Sweeping Zen will focus on interviews with teachers and topics that are very close to what might be understood as formal practice, Buddhist Geeks spreads the net outwards towards technology and culture, and is directly engaged with an economic imagination that it believes to be transforming. It is a self-described for-benefit community.

What do you think of the difference between these two websites, as models of practice? As statements of where things stand today in the dialogue between elders and youth? Is Buddhist Geeks something that you check in to regularly, or is it of no interest? What have you gravitated towards there? And so on..

The following is my reply.

It seems that perhaps this topic has gotten a bit side tracked so I'd like to address the original question posed by Seigen. I attended all three days of the Buddhist Geeks conference and I happen to know Adam Tebbe, who founded Sweeping Zen, personally. I met Adam through some prompting by James Ford Roshi back in 2008 and have followed his progress since that time. Also, a few of my students have been interviewed on Buddhist Geeks and at least one has been involved with some of the founders.

I must say that normally I wouldn't have attended the Conference; however, I was in between consulting jobs and it was being held only 25 minutes from my house so I figured why not. I enjoyed the experience, I met many people that I know indirectly by reputation, and have struck up a few new friendships.

I suppose on the surface one might view Buddhist Geeks as being more directed to a younger and perhaps more technologically savvy audience. Yet, I think the biggest divide between the two approaches are defined more by the communities they represent. Sweeping Zen is only involved with Zen Mahayana Buddhism; whereas, Buddhist Geeks is a conglomeration of Buddhist Practices, some of which border on the cusp of being 'new age.' I do not think this is a bad thing, but there was an attitude at the conference that somehow this technology is going become the savior of Western 21st Century Buddhism.

I should be clear, I am 54 years old, have never played a video game on a computer (outside of Solitaire) yet have been directly involved in Business Software and Programming since I left the US Air Force in 1980. I currently own and run an Enterprise Software Support and development company so I see technology as a tool; however Shinzen Young's assertion that we can possibly build an enlightenment machine, reminds me of what can be found in the classic, Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind from a 1901 book by Richard Maurice Bucke. Bucke had one of those 'big enlightenment experiences' and he spent the rest of his life trying to prove that is was inevitable that all humans will evolve into the Higher Consciousness he had experienced.

Perhaps many will find my stance 'old fashioned' and that is OK; it is human nature to believe that we can improve upon things, yet this is the very paradigm that separates us from the 'experience of the Absolute.'  It seemed, at times during the BG Conference, that we were in the midst of a Buddhist Marketing Convention. I was a bit disturbed by a thread that ran though most of the weekend that seemed to be focused on how to make money at teaching the Dharma. Several of the speakers also employ a fee based system similar to what you might pay to a Professional for Services, (ie: Psychologist, Lawyer, Counselor, etc..) Statements like, 'Psychologist's have already co-opted mindfulness and they are charging huge amounts for it, so we better wake up before there is nothing left for us,' I found distasteful.

I am prepared to get flack for saying this, so I will address the issue with maintaining a 'bricks and mortar' organization. Real estate, utilities, maintenance all cost money and these organizations need donations to flourish. So, I am not saying that it can be done for free; yet I feel strongly that teaching the dharma is a gift and should never involve a fee. It would have been nice to have someone on one of the panels who had an alternative view, but it seemed everyone was on board with the Dharma Gravy train. Shinzen Young was proud that he has lived off the Dharma his whole life and never had a real job, I think that is great for him. Some would say that people don't value what they are being given if they don't have to pay for it. This may be the case, but once it is given it is no longer ours. The other thing here is that it seems too much like 'selling water down by the river.' Buddha taught that we are already enlightened, so there is nothing changing hands and nothing to be gained. Enlightenment is not something that can be marketed as a Brand Name, and we have way too much of that already.

I have been using technology to break down the walls of the Monastery and to reduce the costs to the end user and no one brought that up during the weekend conference. Unlike Shinzen Young, I actually spent $270,000 of my own earnings trying to support the dharma in the first seven years of the 21st Century and this has led me to find alternatives to the bricks and mortar approach. Teaching the Dharma is a service to others, so viewing it as primarily in the realm of making a profit seems troubling at best.

I think Buddhist Geeks is doing a wonderful job of presenting alternative views of the Buddhadharma; I think that Sweeping Zen is doing a wonderful job of presenting alternative views of the ancient Ch'an Buddhist approach. Both are free and seem entirely altruistic in their approach and are serving two diverse audiences. That stated none of us live our lives without casting a shadow, and sometime those shadows can offend others, so in advance I apologize for saying anything that may seem awkward.

These are merely my opinions, and like all thoughts, constructs, ideas and concepts have no self nature.  :O: