Wednesday, July 13, 2005
"I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got"
For those of you who aren't familiar with it the title of this entry is a Sinead O'Connor album title and song (lyrics below). As you and so many others, all the while practicing nonattachment, climb the crowds as if they were so many Himalayas in search of a glimpse of the Dalai Lama, you may very well find yourself saying "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" over and over and over.
In which case, I'm writing to point out that it's actually easier if you say it with a rosary. Did you know rosaries are ubiquitous in religions? At the very least Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity agree: Rosaries are the way to go, and except for the cross on the Christian ones they can be delightfully nondenominational. I believe they're also an ancient technique for manifesting the positive virtues of obsessive-compulsive disorder. And I hope it's not inappropriate to say: His Holiness kept fiddling with his wrist during the proceedings as if he were jonesing for a rosary.
Yesterday I was relaying to two new friends over dinner something over which I was recently obsessing--a man who seemed to be about to become a friend, then holed himself up in his room for seven days straight wearing only white a la' Emily Dickinson and reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (yes very flattering, very). It upset me because there are not too many people here you'll find a kinship with--but then I deserve this because it wasn't so long ago that I holed myself up in the cabin behind my friends Annie and Bob's home, coming out only to eat and exercise. In any case, one of my companions, a strong-hearted Israeli woman named Adva, 27, thought my obsession was irrational. But the other man, the lovely Brazilian Bruno, 34, said, "But it's you. This is who you are. And we are all weird aren't we." Bruno's a very enthusiastic, positive-thinking man who, so far as I can tell from my three dinners with him, only speaks with passion. He has strong ideas about things--for instance, he believes in karma and reincarnation while not being especially Buddhist--and his conviction is catching. As an idea appeared to grow in his mind he looked to his wrist and made the gesture of spinning a bracelet rosary. Then he turned back to us, eyebrows raised and eyes wide, and nodded at us smiling: "That should be our first mantra, shouldn't it?" He cocked his head and nodded further: "We are all weird we are all weird we are all weird." We all laughed and I wrote it down. Bruno has a certain series of favorite repeat movements that include: raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes to engage you in his idea, cocking his head in contemplation, smiling with joy at the idea of something. I think, and I mean this in the most flattering way, that in this way he reminds me of a bird, the way birds frequently appear to choose between just a few key actions: cocking their heads, flying off, landing, pecking at something. But while they're mostly after food, Bruno's actions are all devoted to conveying an idea and convincing you to share his joy in it.
I had bought a rosary bracelet (as opposed to a necklace) for the first time on Sunday, and yesterday, feeling really out of sorts, went up to Tushita, a meditation retreat in Dharamkot, perhaps a kilometer up a beautiful, barely populated street. Tushita is a super lovely spot; it's very popular so I thought it might be commercial, but in fact the facilities are clean but humble, silence is kept through the whole place so it's fully serene, and the place is set deep into the hillside amid huge evergreens. Also, the landscape is tiered: The residences are on one level--high--the gompa, mess hall, reception and library on another, various offices on a third. The tiers create a sense of retreat and quiet at each level. There's also a pleasing gompa (Tibetan temple), which is pretty hilarious (but typical) compared to its peaceful surroundings: Huge multicolored tangkas (those Tibetan paintings painted on fabric), a 5-foot gilt Buddha with one of those pointed golden caps indicating he'd attained enlightenment, about eight individual 3-foot gilt Buddhas each in their own little glass-enclosed coveys and surrounded by "Christmas" lights and other paraphernalia; a four-foot, heart-meltingly compassionate statue of Tara, goddess of universal compassion (see http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/deities/tara.htm), and postings and requests for donations for the Maitreya project, which aims, with no small amount of ceremony, to build the largest Bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha in the world (152 kms.) The actual Maitreya Buddha is expected to come to enlighten the world during a time when Buddhism has lost its purchase and needs to be rejuvenated. I heard one person say that the bronze Maitreya Buddha is intended to last long enough to greet the actual Maitreya Buddha and perhaps hasten his arrival. (See below for articles on the Maitreya Project and Buddha.)
I circled the temple clockwise as is required, then sat in one of the provided plastic patio chairs and began spinning my rosary and saying to myself the word "equanimity", which I had learned in California to be one of the things some Buddhists pray on; equanimity allows you to feel what you need to while remembering that things will pass and change. Spinning the rosary was hypnotic, and the circle of it automatically brought into relief the cyclical nature of life that Buddhists are so keen on, and that is certainly a good argument for practicing equanimity. Then I just started crying--travelling here is emotional and sometimes crying feels like my only effective mechanism for cleaning myself out--and then I felt much better. I met a couple of travellers at a teaplace down the street and walked with them in newly pouring rain home just in time for yoga (which may get its own blog).
Perhaps there are better rosaries than rosaries. Poetry used to be my most excellent rosary: While I shouldn't idealize the difficulty of it, it's excellent for practicing beauty and dousing neurosis. You can spin a word for hours to examine every aspect of it, or spin a poem itself to see if all the parts contribute to the whole and the words pass easily through the mind, yes, like a strand of beads. A mechanic examines a car, a webdesigner a website, the same. But for now, and for probably no good reason, I'm interested in something so many of us agree to do together: the simple, persuasive rosary.
Here's addenda on the Maitreya project and Sinead O'Connor's song lyrics:
World’s largest bronze Buddha taking shape in UK
SHEFFIELD (UK), June 11: The world’s largest bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha, to be installed in Bodhgaya in bihar, is being conceptually "designed and developed" in this steel city with the state-of the art computer facilities.
"The 152.4 metre tall statue in a sitting posture will be a modern-day wonder of the world, three times higher than the statue of liberty," a spokesman of the Casting Development Centre, currently involved in the project, told reporters.
Though from outside it will be the statue of Lord Buddha, from within it will contain several chapels. Visitors will have lift facilities to reach the chapels located at the naval, heart and throat levels, he said.
The statue, scheduled to be completed in January 2005, will be seated on a throne, 17 storeys high, housing a huge temple. The feat of the statue would rest on a lotus, touching the earth and forming the entrance.
The 100-million-pound Maitreya project is currently in the concept development stage. UK firms Mott MacDonald, Whinney Mackay Lewis, Delcam and Castings Development Centre comprise the core international team who have joined leading consultants and contractors in India, including Larsen and Toubro, to build one of the world’s most enduring religious monuments, the spokesman said.
Necessary economic and enviromental impact studies will be undertaken and appropriate design, architecture and technology developed for the construction of the statue, he said.
The spokesman said the Buddha statue will be a colossal feat of modern engineering. The architectural, construction and maintenance challenges posed by the project require the latest skills in a variety of technologies.
Ashley Bateson of the Falcrum Consulting said the huge structure is being structured to withstand high winds, extreme temperature changes, seasonal rains and possible earthquake and floods to last 1,000 years. Griffin said "the Maitreya Project will be linking a 2,000-year-old art tradition to the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art technology available today."
The statue and park will be located in Bodhgaya, the site of the Mahabodhi Stupa, one of the premier pilgrimage site for the world’s buddhists and the ancient Bodhi tree, under which the historical Buddha gained enterainment.
The statue will face the Mahabodhi Stupa and will rise to the height of a 50-storey building. The base, upon which Matreya Buddha sits, will be a magnificent 17-storey building with prayer halls, a museum, exhibition hall, library, audio-visual theature, teaching hall and roof garden.
Forty acres of land has already been acquired for the project. There will also be meditation pavilions, fountains and pools and a playground for children.
Z hospital which will offer western, ayurvedic and tibetan medical treatment is part of the project in addition to a new airport a few kms from the site, the spokesman said.
The lead sponsor of the project is the foundation for the preservation of the Mahayana tradition, an International Buddhist Organisation with more than 100 centres in 30 countries worldwide.
Its founder, late Lama Thubten Yeshe, a Tibetan Lama who devoted his life to spreading Buddha’s teachings worldwide, conceived the project.
At present, Ushiku Statue in Tokyo — 120-metre high —is the tallest Buddhist statue in the world.
Peter Kedge, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Maitreya Project International, said the inward flow of funds the project is bringing to Bodhgaya will transform the economy of Bodhgaya and Bihar tremendously. (PTI), posted on http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/00june12/inter.htm
ALSO, FROM http://sangha.net/messengers/maitreya.htm: Maitreya, in Buddhism, the future Buddha, a Buddha who will be reborn in a period of decline to renew the doctrine of the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha. Maitreya is believed to be a bodhisattva, one who refuses entry into nirvana, a transcendent state free from suffering, out of a compassionate desire to help others. At present, he is believed to reside in Tushita Heaven, where he awaits his rebirth (see Transmigration). Although various calculations exist, this rebirth is expected to occur in 30,000 years. At the moment of his rebirth, Buddhist law will have completely degenerated, requiring a new revelation. After his rebirth, by some accounts, Maitreya will lead all beings still trapped in the cycle of rebirths to nirvana. Others maintain that he will preach for 60,000 years, after which he will enter nirvana and his doctrine will endure for another 10,000 years. His cult first appeared in India around the 3rd century then spread throughout China, Korea, and Japan. The traditions surrounding Maitreya describe him taking on a variety of forms, such as a slothful student, a companion of the Buddha, or a kind tutor. In China, he is revered as a folk deity who wanders the country with a third eye in his back. In addition, Chinese emperors and empresses have claimed to be the incarnation of Maitreya in order to achieve political security. Sometime in the 4th or 5th century, Buddhist monks brought the cult of Maitreya to Korea, where followers established him as a god of fertility who grants infants to barren women and answers the prayers of children. In Japan, celebrated teacher Kukai claimed he was Maitreya when he founded the Shingon (Pure Word) sect of Buddhism in the early 9th century. Maitreya remains one of the few bodhisattvas revered in both Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Microsoft Encarta 1997.
Lyrics to "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got"--Sinead O'Connor:
I'm walking through the desert
And I am not frightened although it's hot
I have all that I requested
And I do not want what I haven't got
I have learned this from my mother
See how happy she has made me
I will take this road much further
Though I know not where it takes me
I have water for my journey
I have bread and I have wine
No longer will I be hungry
For the bread of life is mine
I saw a navy blue bird
Flying way above the sea
I walked on and I learned later
That this navy blue bird was me
I returned a paler blue bird
And this is the advice they gave me
You must not try to be too pure
You must fly closer to the sea
So I'm walking through the desert
And I am not frightened although it's hot
I have all that I requested
And I do not want what I haven't got
In which case, I'm writing to point out that it's actually easier if you say it with a rosary. Did you know rosaries are ubiquitous in religions? At the very least Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity agree: Rosaries are the way to go, and except for the cross on the Christian ones they can be delightfully nondenominational. I believe they're also an ancient technique for manifesting the positive virtues of obsessive-compulsive disorder. And I hope it's not inappropriate to say: His Holiness kept fiddling with his wrist during the proceedings as if he were jonesing for a rosary.
Yesterday I was relaying to two new friends over dinner something over which I was recently obsessing--a man who seemed to be about to become a friend, then holed himself up in his room for seven days straight wearing only white a la' Emily Dickinson and reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (yes very flattering, very). It upset me because there are not too many people here you'll find a kinship with--but then I deserve this because it wasn't so long ago that I holed myself up in the cabin behind my friends Annie and Bob's home, coming out only to eat and exercise. In any case, one of my companions, a strong-hearted Israeli woman named Adva, 27, thought my obsession was irrational. But the other man, the lovely Brazilian Bruno, 34, said, "But it's you. This is who you are. And we are all weird aren't we." Bruno's a very enthusiastic, positive-thinking man who, so far as I can tell from my three dinners with him, only speaks with passion. He has strong ideas about things--for instance, he believes in karma and reincarnation while not being especially Buddhist--and his conviction is catching. As an idea appeared to grow in his mind he looked to his wrist and made the gesture of spinning a bracelet rosary. Then he turned back to us, eyebrows raised and eyes wide, and nodded at us smiling: "That should be our first mantra, shouldn't it?" He cocked his head and nodded further: "We are all weird we are all weird we are all weird." We all laughed and I wrote it down. Bruno has a certain series of favorite repeat movements that include: raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes to engage you in his idea, cocking his head in contemplation, smiling with joy at the idea of something. I think, and I mean this in the most flattering way, that in this way he reminds me of a bird, the way birds frequently appear to choose between just a few key actions: cocking their heads, flying off, landing, pecking at something. But while they're mostly after food, Bruno's actions are all devoted to conveying an idea and convincing you to share his joy in it.
I had bought a rosary bracelet (as opposed to a necklace) for the first time on Sunday, and yesterday, feeling really out of sorts, went up to Tushita, a meditation retreat in Dharamkot, perhaps a kilometer up a beautiful, barely populated street. Tushita is a super lovely spot; it's very popular so I thought it might be commercial, but in fact the facilities are clean but humble, silence is kept through the whole place so it's fully serene, and the place is set deep into the hillside amid huge evergreens. Also, the landscape is tiered: The residences are on one level--high--the gompa, mess hall, reception and library on another, various offices on a third. The tiers create a sense of retreat and quiet at each level. There's also a pleasing gompa (Tibetan temple), which is pretty hilarious (but typical) compared to its peaceful surroundings: Huge multicolored tangkas (those Tibetan paintings painted on fabric), a 5-foot gilt Buddha with one of those pointed golden caps indicating he'd attained enlightenment, about eight individual 3-foot gilt Buddhas each in their own little glass-enclosed coveys and surrounded by "Christmas" lights and other paraphernalia; a four-foot, heart-meltingly compassionate statue of Tara, goddess of universal compassion (see http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/deities/tara.htm), and postings and requests for donations for the Maitreya project, which aims, with no small amount of ceremony, to build the largest Bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha in the world (152 kms.) The actual Maitreya Buddha is expected to come to enlighten the world during a time when Buddhism has lost its purchase and needs to be rejuvenated. I heard one person say that the bronze Maitreya Buddha is intended to last long enough to greet the actual Maitreya Buddha and perhaps hasten his arrival. (See below for articles on the Maitreya Project and Buddha.)
I circled the temple clockwise as is required, then sat in one of the provided plastic patio chairs and began spinning my rosary and saying to myself the word "equanimity", which I had learned in California to be one of the things some Buddhists pray on; equanimity allows you to feel what you need to while remembering that things will pass and change. Spinning the rosary was hypnotic, and the circle of it automatically brought into relief the cyclical nature of life that Buddhists are so keen on, and that is certainly a good argument for practicing equanimity. Then I just started crying--travelling here is emotional and sometimes crying feels like my only effective mechanism for cleaning myself out--and then I felt much better. I met a couple of travellers at a teaplace down the street and walked with them in newly pouring rain home just in time for yoga (which may get its own blog).
Perhaps there are better rosaries than rosaries. Poetry used to be my most excellent rosary: While I shouldn't idealize the difficulty of it, it's excellent for practicing beauty and dousing neurosis. You can spin a word for hours to examine every aspect of it, or spin a poem itself to see if all the parts contribute to the whole and the words pass easily through the mind, yes, like a strand of beads. A mechanic examines a car, a webdesigner a website, the same. But for now, and for probably no good reason, I'm interested in something so many of us agree to do together: the simple, persuasive rosary.
Here's addenda on the Maitreya project and Sinead O'Connor's song lyrics:
World’s largest bronze Buddha taking shape in UK
SHEFFIELD (UK), June 11: The world’s largest bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha, to be installed in Bodhgaya in bihar, is being conceptually "designed and developed" in this steel city with the state-of the art computer facilities.
"The 152.4 metre tall statue in a sitting posture will be a modern-day wonder of the world, three times higher than the statue of liberty," a spokesman of the Casting Development Centre, currently involved in the project, told reporters.
Though from outside it will be the statue of Lord Buddha, from within it will contain several chapels. Visitors will have lift facilities to reach the chapels located at the naval, heart and throat levels, he said.
The statue, scheduled to be completed in January 2005, will be seated on a throne, 17 storeys high, housing a huge temple. The feat of the statue would rest on a lotus, touching the earth and forming the entrance.
The 100-million-pound Maitreya project is currently in the concept development stage. UK firms Mott MacDonald, Whinney Mackay Lewis, Delcam and Castings Development Centre comprise the core international team who have joined leading consultants and contractors in India, including Larsen and Toubro, to build one of the world’s most enduring religious monuments, the spokesman said.
Necessary economic and enviromental impact studies will be undertaken and appropriate design, architecture and technology developed for the construction of the statue, he said.
The spokesman said the Buddha statue will be a colossal feat of modern engineering. The architectural, construction and maintenance challenges posed by the project require the latest skills in a variety of technologies.
Ashley Bateson of the Falcrum Consulting said the huge structure is being structured to withstand high winds, extreme temperature changes, seasonal rains and possible earthquake and floods to last 1,000 years. Griffin said "the Maitreya Project will be linking a 2,000-year-old art tradition to the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art technology available today."
The statue and park will be located in Bodhgaya, the site of the Mahabodhi Stupa, one of the premier pilgrimage site for the world’s buddhists and the ancient Bodhi tree, under which the historical Buddha gained enterainment.
The statue will face the Mahabodhi Stupa and will rise to the height of a 50-storey building. The base, upon which Matreya Buddha sits, will be a magnificent 17-storey building with prayer halls, a museum, exhibition hall, library, audio-visual theature, teaching hall and roof garden.
Forty acres of land has already been acquired for the project. There will also be meditation pavilions, fountains and pools and a playground for children.
Z hospital which will offer western, ayurvedic and tibetan medical treatment is part of the project in addition to a new airport a few kms from the site, the spokesman said.
The lead sponsor of the project is the foundation for the preservation of the Mahayana tradition, an International Buddhist Organisation with more than 100 centres in 30 countries worldwide.
Its founder, late Lama Thubten Yeshe, a Tibetan Lama who devoted his life to spreading Buddha’s teachings worldwide, conceived the project.
At present, Ushiku Statue in Tokyo — 120-metre high —is the tallest Buddhist statue in the world.
Peter Kedge, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Maitreya Project International, said the inward flow of funds the project is bringing to Bodhgaya will transform the economy of Bodhgaya and Bihar tremendously. (PTI), posted on http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/00june12/inter.htm
ALSO, FROM http://sangha.net/messengers/maitreya.htm: Maitreya, in Buddhism, the future Buddha, a Buddha who will be reborn in a period of decline to renew the doctrine of the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha. Maitreya is believed to be a bodhisattva, one who refuses entry into nirvana, a transcendent state free from suffering, out of a compassionate desire to help others. At present, he is believed to reside in Tushita Heaven, where he awaits his rebirth (see Transmigration). Although various calculations exist, this rebirth is expected to occur in 30,000 years. At the moment of his rebirth, Buddhist law will have completely degenerated, requiring a new revelation. After his rebirth, by some accounts, Maitreya will lead all beings still trapped in the cycle of rebirths to nirvana. Others maintain that he will preach for 60,000 years, after which he will enter nirvana and his doctrine will endure for another 10,000 years. His cult first appeared in India around the 3rd century then spread throughout China, Korea, and Japan. The traditions surrounding Maitreya describe him taking on a variety of forms, such as a slothful student, a companion of the Buddha, or a kind tutor. In China, he is revered as a folk deity who wanders the country with a third eye in his back. In addition, Chinese emperors and empresses have claimed to be the incarnation of Maitreya in order to achieve political security. Sometime in the 4th or 5th century, Buddhist monks brought the cult of Maitreya to Korea, where followers established him as a god of fertility who grants infants to barren women and answers the prayers of children. In Japan, celebrated teacher Kukai claimed he was Maitreya when he founded the Shingon (Pure Word) sect of Buddhism in the early 9th century. Maitreya remains one of the few bodhisattvas revered in both Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Microsoft Encarta 1997.
Lyrics to "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got"--Sinead O'Connor:
I'm walking through the desert
And I am not frightened although it's hot
I have all that I requested
And I do not want what I haven't got
I have learned this from my mother
See how happy she has made me
I will take this road much further
Though I know not where it takes me
I have water for my journey
I have bread and I have wine
No longer will I be hungry
For the bread of life is mine
I saw a navy blue bird
Flying way above the sea
I walked on and I learned later
That this navy blue bird was me
I returned a paler blue bird
And this is the advice they gave me
You must not try to be too pure
You must fly closer to the sea
So I'm walking through the desert
And I am not frightened although it's hot
I have all that I requested
And I do not want what I haven't got
Comments:
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My favorites:
"I believe they're also an ancient technique for manifesting the positive virtues of obsessive-compulsive disorder." Love it!
"Bruno's actions are all devoted to conveying an idea and convincing you to share his joy in it." A very kind analysis.
"...those Tibetan paintings painted on fabric."
I hope they're not on velvet. (See comment to last blog).
"...to build the largest Bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha in the world (152 kms.)" I know you put kms to be sure we're reading carefully. Thankfully your citation of the article describing the statue clarifies the dimension. Bless you.
Spinning rosary segment: beautifully done. I love the website construction analogy which I assume you put in there for us geeks. I'm definitely spinning my wheels at one in the morning trying to finish jogTunes.com and my son, Chris', new website.
"I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" Actually, what I haven't gotten yet is a trip to Australia and New Zealand. I'd take it if I could get it!
Love,
Da' (That's not like Da' as in Dalai, out of respect)
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"I believe they're also an ancient technique for manifesting the positive virtues of obsessive-compulsive disorder." Love it!
"Bruno's actions are all devoted to conveying an idea and convincing you to share his joy in it." A very kind analysis.
"...those Tibetan paintings painted on fabric."
I hope they're not on velvet. (See comment to last blog).
"...to build the largest Bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha in the world (152 kms.)" I know you put kms to be sure we're reading carefully. Thankfully your citation of the article describing the statue clarifies the dimension. Bless you.
Spinning rosary segment: beautifully done. I love the website construction analogy which I assume you put in there for us geeks. I'm definitely spinning my wheels at one in the morning trying to finish jogTunes.com and my son, Chris', new website.
"I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" Actually, what I haven't gotten yet is a trip to Australia and New Zealand. I'd take it if I could get it!
Love,
Da' (That's not like Da' as in Dalai, out of respect)
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