The Death of King Boogie

Earlier this week, Monday to be exact, I had to do one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had to drive our dog Casey over to the vet to have him put down. He was old, and not doing very well over all, we started to see the end was near. He was uncomfortable, had a hard time walking, was eating sporadically. He would poop in his sleep, and he did sleep, a lot, almost the entire day. So, we felt the time was now. Before he couldn't walk, before he was in much more pain, before he lost his mind which can all happen so fast when dogs get this old. I can only wish someone does the same for me some day. To die with dignity, potentially even at a time of our control.

It was hard to make the appointment, hard to know the time was numbered. I spent time sitting with him when he was awake, which was not often.

Taking him in that day was the longest ride of my life, getting through the procedure was both sad, and at the same time a relief. He went peacefully, laying in my arms.

Casey was a unique dog, although I may be biased. He was always a sweet boy, everyone loved him and he lived a long charmed life. He dodged a lot of bullets as well - a tumor removed when he was eight - the vet told us she had never seen it not be cancer. But it wasn't. Then he developed heart disease and a murmur, but that didn't stop him. About a year ago he developed an aggressive form of cancer on his gums, which was removed and didn't come back. He started to have congestive heart failure a few months ago, but some meds slowed that down. All these times, we thought we would lose him, but never did. Once the time came to let him go, I had no regrets, it was absolutely the kindest thing I could do for him.

But still, it is upsetting and sad, and of course I missed him everyday I came home this week. Even though he stopped greeting us at the door a long time ago, knowing he was present was enough.

There is a huge misconception in Buddhism, that we are somehow without emotion, or shouldn't react to things with emotion, but that is realy not true. While in this body, tied and driven by so many emotions, mental reactions, attachments, clinging to what is, we too suffer and feel pain and sadness. We may deal with it differently, but it is and will always be there, until we too are no longer mortal.

To honor his passing, I have been chanting the Bardo prayer for him daily. Usually also the heart sutra. I light some incense and a candle. I hope he passes from this existance to the next, maybe in a better situation (although he had it made with us for 14 years - I will hope when I die to come back as one of our dogs).

There is a great part in the Salla Sutta (part of the Sutta Nipata) which is a reflection on death. It says: "When he sees that someone has passed away and lived out their life, he says 'He will not be seen by me again'.

We will collect his ashes, and find an appropriate place to spread them, or bury them. We will remember what a great dog he was, how much we loved him. He will not be seen by us again.

Rest in Peace Boog Boog - see you soon.

The Heart of the Matter

So I finished my paper on the Heart Sutra (Maha Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutra for you Buddologists out there). I should also say, I am way behind on posting and also need to do a 37 part exposé on the weekend retreat that I shall entitle "how my head nearly, literally exploded", but, I digress, so here is the Heart Sutra, once and for all, for everyone out there, laid out bare, no more walking around the facts: "You don't exist the way you think you do, so get over your bad self".

Ok, not nearly as poetic as say...anyone, I guess, but bear with me.

For those not familiar with the Heart Sutra, know it is part of a much larger work in the Mahayana school, which really came about 600 years after the Baghavat was alive. So, not actual words of the Baghavat, but more so the words of people trying to wake others up much later on. Much of the Mahayana school, which Zen (Son / Chan) is a part of, takes exception to the original concept of "save yourself". They were much more concerned with "save your self, by helping others along the way (Bodhisattvas)".

The Heart Sutra is a very important text to the Zenophiles out there, because it really contains a huge amount of the basic concepts of zen and Buddhism as a whole in very few lines.

Just to get everyone on board - here is a copy:

The Maha (Great) Prajnaparamita (Wisdom) Hrdaya (Heart) Sutra:

The Bodhisattva of Great Compassion
From the deep practice of Prajnaparamita
perceived the emptiness of all five skandas
and delivered all beings from their suffering

O, Shariputra, form is no other then emptiness, emptiness no other then form, form is emptiness, emptiness form. The same is true of feeling, thought, impulse and consciousness.

O, Shariputra, all dharmas are empty.
They are not born, nor annihilated. They are not defiled nor immaculate. They do not increase, nor decrease. So, in emptiness, no form, no feeling, no thought, no impulse, no consciousness.
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or objects of mind, no realm of sight, no realm of consciousness.

No ignorance, nor extinction of ignorance, no old age and death, nor extinction of them.
No suffering, no cause of suffering, no cease from suffering, no path to lead out of suffering, no knowledge, no attainment, no realization, for there is nothing to attain.

The Bodhisattva holds on to nothing but Pranjaparamita, therefore the mind is clear of any delusive hindrance. Without hindrance, there is no fear, away from all perverted views, one reaches final Nirvana.

All Buddhas of past, present and future, through faith in Prajnaparamita attain to the highest perfect enlightenment.

Know then, the Prajnaparamita is the great dharani, the radiant peerless mantrum, the utmost supreme mantrum, which is capable of allaying all pain. This is true beyond all doubt.

Proclaim now the highest wisdom, the Prajnaparamita.
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!


Ok - so what the hell does this all mean?

This is describing a conversation between the Bodhisattva of compassion (Avalokitesvara / Jijian Bosal / Kwannon / Quan Yin)(This is by the way, is who the Dalai Lama is supposed to be a reincarnation of) who is the one practicing prajnaparamita (great wisdom practice) talking to Shariputra, a main disciple to the Baghavat himself. Whew...ok, lets continue.

Avalokitesvara suddenly gets it - all of the five skandas don't really exist the way we think they do. The skandas are: Form or matter (Rupa), Feeling (Vedana), Thinking (Samjna), Mental formation (Samskara), and discernment or memory (Vijnana). Rupa, form or matter, causes the other four (Arupa Skandas) to arise (spontaneous mental reaction). If Rupa is empty, that is to say it has no lasting form and is in constant change, then the four Arupa responses to Rupa are also in flux, ever changing and therefore also empty.

So to sum it all up - form is empty, emptiness is form. So, nothing lasts, not any of that shit you keep in your house, your cool car, your awesome clothes, that fancy tv, and also, you as a person. Also, you, as a non lasting, empty of long term, ever changing thing also creates these other four things, which absolutely can't exist since you the container doesn't exist.

So, what the hell are you so worried about? Why should we grasp to these things that don't last including ourselves? Why not cut that cord from around our necks? That is the next part, ultimately - that a Bodhisattva, holds only to the understanding of all things being empty, and therefore is free.

Just to prove his point, he goes on and on, pointing out all of the vehicles that form the skandhas, pulling everything, even the teachings of the Baghavat, even the four noble truths out from under poor Shariputra and tells him - this is not real stuff, you just created your attachment using non existent stuff.

So, all of the rest of the sutra, he tells Shariputra that he is basically, full of it, proving it by showing how everything he considers teaching is also not real, or lasting, or created, and therefore can't stop or die.

Look, if you build a world out of Play Doh, it doesn't matter how detailed it is. At the end of the day, its still just Play Doh. The type your little weird neighbor kid will probably try and eat.

Just to give Shariputra something to work on, he provides him with a mantra (a short Dharani). Whats a Dharani you ask? A long mantra - now pay attention to the end and stop asking questions.

"Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!"

That is pronounced Gah-tay, not like the thing at the front of your fence. This means - "away, away, far away, far, far away to the other side, enlightenment, Whoooo! Fricken awsome!"

Bodhi Svaha is like a Buddhist version of "Amen" and means something like "to enligtenment".

So at the end, he says, lets all go together across this sea of shit to the other side to find our way.

In other words, face reality and get over it. What are you waiting for?