[Buddha-l] Of Sunims and King

[Dayamati]

The following is a statement that nicely reflects the ecumenical and irenic tone of our age. It is from one of the pages on the website of Still Water Zen Center in Richmond, Virginia, one of the centers that grew out of the late Seung Sahn Sunim's (1927-2004) energetic Buddhist missionary work in the United States.
 
\begin{quote}
Q: Is Zen Meditation a Religion?
A: Zen meditation practice does not include any form of religious indoctrination, nor does it imply any particular religious affiliation. While Zen comes from the Buddhist tradition, Zen students can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheists - whatever (even Buddhist).  According to tradition, the Buddha was the first Zen Master, so practicing Zen does imply that the Buddha is a teacher, but not to he exclusion of other teachers (like Jesus, Lao-Tzu, etc.).
\end{quote} http://www.stillwaterzen.org/

The open-minded, interfaith tone of that passage reminds me of my former teacher, Samu Sunim, who like Seung Sahn Sunim, was of the Chogye order in Korea. It is, frankly, that ecumenical, inclusive spirit that I find missing in the Triratna Buddhist Community, to which I now belong. I find myself constantly having to cope with others in my Community who write inflammatory blogs with titles like "Why Islam is dangerous" and who rail endlessly against the horrors of Christianity. (I am glad to report that I am not alone in my Community in feeling disgust at such sweeping hostility.)

As Martin Luther King, Jr holiday comes to a close in the United States, I feel disheartened to reflect on what Barack Obama said today. He said that Martin Luther King, Jr lived in the age of Moses, while we today live in the age of Joshua. So what does that mean? Does it mean that Obama, like Joshua, will invade foreign lands and slaughter all the men, women and children and justify it all by saying the present inhabitants are offensive to God and that their land is now ours to do with as we please? Does it mean we have graduated from having an African American liberator of the downtrodden and oppressed to having an African American marauder? Does it mean that the hound of heaven can now stop comforting the afflicted and begin afflicting the comfortable? I couldn't help reflecting on some of these matters on one of my blog sites: http://dayamati.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/dreams/

At least we are getting some much-needed rain this evening in the Rio Grande valley. The cottonwoods can use it.

Dayāmati