photo by Katharine Emlen

I recall clearly riding my tricycle, as a child, and accidentally riding over a bee. I am not sure how old I was, perhaps four or five. I got off my tricycle, kneeled down on the ground and put my eyes as close as possible to the bee’s little body. I stared with wonder. In my heart, I knew that the bee was alive. Yes, his little body was crushed. But I knew he was alive. I kept asking, “What happened to his life? Where is his life?” I recall a moment of innocence and wonder as I asked where the light of this little bee had gone. I was compelled by curiosity, inquiry and the desire to explore life.

Several years ago, in 1993, I was going through communications training with a linguist. Our first meeting went on for three or four hours. During our meeting, he posed several questions in an attempt to identify what I saw my purpose of life being. After much dialogue and many questions he finally asked, “Could you accept that your purpose is in the inquiry?” My response was a clear and affirmative “Yes!” I then shared that my hero when I was five year’s old was Christopher Columbus. The path of the explorer was there from my earliest memories.

Looking back, I notice there is something consistent that shifts my experience from worry and anxiety to freedom and peace. A love for inquiry, learning, and sharing moves me forward to new investigations of life.

Recently, I awoke at an early hour with worry, a little anxiety, and thinking of a certain person. Then I caught myself and said, “This won’t do Chuck, get up and ask some questions, explore what there is to learn from this person and experience.” I got out of bed, ready to explore, ready for a new discovery. This brought me peace.

The spirit of inquiry, exploration, searching for new lands and new understanding is inspiring. Some may be convinced they have the one and only path to truth. For me, life is a vast geography to explore—with infinite possibility.

I think often of a photographer. It is not the role of the photographer to convince. You share what you see. What people see in your photographs will be unique to who they are.

One of my teachers shared that the purpose of Buddhism is to cultivate a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life itself is a joy. Perhaps that is one of the joys of Buddhism for me—a love, curiosity, and exploration into the true nature of life.

Joy and fulfillment is in the on-going inquiry and discovery of the richness life has to offer. And for me, the inquiry is most meaningful within the context of sharing with others. Joy is in the exploration—not in the final destination. There will always be new lands to explore and new possibilities to uncover.

Photo by Marc Adamus

At a recent Interfaith Prayer Service I shared a couple of readings and thought this would be a good space to share them with others.

This first passage is from a dialogue conducted between Daisaku Ikeda and high school student representatives entitled “Dialogues with Youth.”

“The noble side of a person is manifested in kindness and consideration to others. Kindness and consideration for others resonate with both the Buddhist concept of compassion and the core Christian concept of love. Every person has grown up supported by the warmth and kindness of many people. When viewed from a larger perspective, we exist here thanks to the support not only of the people around us, but of everything on this earth and in the entire universe.

Behind each of us stands not just 4 billion years of kindness from the Earth, but the compassion of the entire universe since time without beginning. Therefore, we mustn’t slander or devalue our life. Life is the most precious of all treasures. Each of us has been given this invaluable gift and each of us is irreplaceable. Those bearers of life — the universe, the Earth and mothers — cherish their children. The most important thing for the 21st century is that we expand throughout society this absolute, fundamental consideration, this profound compassion toward life.”

This second passage is an excerpt from a letter written in 1277 by the 13th Century Buddhist teacher, Nichiren Daishonin, entitled “Three Kinds of Treasure.”

“More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!”

Cascade Head Preserve Area - Oregon Coast

Having the opportunity to reflect on several years of working with individuals and groups—both young and old, I have listened for those experiences of being effective and ineffective. I’ve had plenty of both!

Looking back as recently as this past year while working in a high school, I’ve noticed a few qualities that show up consistently when being effective with people. What makes the biggest difference is the quality of my listening.

One activity I’ve guided people through is an exercise to facilitate a shift from listening to physical qualities to listening from mental/spiritual qualities. Once we complete the exercise, we then have a conversation about labels and the concept of listening through filters.

We use labels as reference points to navigate the geography of human beings. We label people in one way or another. We consciously or unconsciously transpose these labels onto our own life. These labels become the filters through which we listen. We may listen through the filter of someone being a man, women, light skinned, dark skinned, young, old, educated, foolish, learned, disabled, brilliant, arrogant, smart, generous, intense… etc.

If we are going to listen to people through filters (and we will), then let us be proactive and create filters that make a meaningful and worthwhile difference. With practice and patience, seeing and hearing someone as having confidence, courage, intelligence and creativity will move their life (and yours) forward far better than seeing and hearing someone as mentally ill, arrogant or selfish. I remind myself and encourage others to choose one or two mental qualities to use as listening filters. It might be courage and acceptance or being creative and confident. Then, no matter what the short-term result, keep practicing listening through the qualities we have chosen.

In my studies of the non-violent work of Gandhi I came across the concept of “satyagraha” that conveys my experience and effectiveness with my step-daughter over a several year period. Satyagraha is a synthesis of the Sanskrit words Satya (truth) and Agraha (holding firmly to). Truth (satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) calls forth and serves as a force for change.

Holding firmly to love and with practice and persistence, these qualities begin to show up in those I interact with, and not surprisingly, in my own life. Through the power of listening, we can generate an environment that facilitates the best in our life and the life of others.

This observation is based on training, practice, and a track record that spans many years of demonstrated proof.

Learning it is difficult because our society teaches us about good and bad, right and wrong. We are programmed to believe in good and bad. If we have the things we want we are happy. If we don’t have what we want we begrudge our lives.

There are several things that prevent us from being productive and joyful. Two of them are: A mistaken view of our life (we don’t know who we are), and second we place too much attachment on material things.

We embrace our mistaken identities so deeply that they become our reality. Appreciation does not refer to things outside us. Appreciate your own life first. Appreciate when you fail. Appreciate when you try and try again and still fail. Appreciate when you embarrass yourself.

When we were young no one taught us how to walk. We were true to our own nature and learned ourselves. But as we get older, people (parents, teachers, etc.) wanted to control us, and we got angry. Be like a tree. A tree stays a tree no matter if you kick it or curse at it. It is in harmony with itself. It doesn’t care what you do. It is just being a tree. But this is not the same with humans. We do not live in harmony with our true nature, and we are swayed by the opinions and thoughts of those outside of us.

Our life has unbelievable power and wisdom, but we don’t trust ourselves and let it come forth. We always look for validation outside, and we will never get it. If we validate ourselves, we will be able to influence everything around us.

Here’s a challenge for the next month: “No matter where my life is at, I will pray with the determination that I will turn this situation around within one month. I’ll take the responsibility to make it happen. And in this one month, I’ll create the biggest benefit of my life.”

To turn my life around in one month:

• Perceive the truth of your life.
• Take responsibility for creating the greatest benefit you’ve ever had.
• Everything begins and ends with you.

Don’t pray to overcome an obstacle. Rather, pray to perceive your own truth.

What does it mean to appreciate another person? It means that we have no judgments about them. No matter what the conditions, we will do anything for that person’s happiness. Don’t use anger as a form of judgment. It is fine to get angry, but don’t judge another person’s life just because today we are feeling anger towards them.

Being enlightened does not mean we are perfect. It means we always turn the negative into a benefit.

We usually think of Appreciation as something outside of us. We appreciate our possessions or what someone does for us. But appreciation is for our own life. We strive to appreciate the essence of our life, whatever we are going through in the moment.

We are all programmed from a very early age—by our families and teachers and TV, etc.—to believe that we are a certain person. But we have an incorrect view of our life.

Our goal is to develop a correct view of our life.

The Buddhist teacher Nichiren Daishonin stated; “He who perceives the greatness of his life is a Buddha. He who doesn’t is a fool.”

Pray to realize that you are enlightened just as you are.

When we perceive who we are, we will naturally impact our environment.

It is not easy to appreciate your life, because your life does not want to appreciate itself. Just try praying for fifteen minutes exclusively focusing on appreciating your life. Your mind will get distracted and you will think about everything but appreciation. But strive to stay focused on appreciation. Just as you are.

In our minds we judge our lives. We see part of our self as good and part as bad. We believe we have to push everything to the positive side to be happy. But you cannot do that. We are just who we are. There is no such thing as Good human being/Bad human being. There is only being human. Just as we are.

We are all just human beings. And sometimes we will do terrible things. Good and bad exists because we are human. The only thing our stupidity proves is that we are human. And there is nothing wrong with that. Being enlightened means that we take the negative and turn it into a benefit.

When we take a negative circumstance and use it to validate a negative belief about our self we are in misery. Because you haven’t got the job you’ve always wanted is not proof that you are a terrible and worthless person. It is an opportunity to prove how wonderful you are as a human being.

We are all dysfunctional somehow, and we believe it is the cause of all our suffering. We buy into this belief so that we have a reason to fail. We always have to have a reason to fail. Then negativity only perpetuates itself and gets deeper. Our enlightenment exists inside our dysfunction, too. If we manifest our enlightened state and appreciate our life, then our “dysfunction” will become our greatest benefit.

Everything about our character is unbelievably wonderful. We think we have to fix what we believe to be broken, but in reality nothing is broken.

We need to find out how wonderful and powerful our life is. It doesn’t have to take years. We can do it in one night if we really appreciate our self.

Appreciation does not mean that you accept the circumstances.It is not about something outside of you. Appreciation has three qualities:

• No Matter what happens you do not betray your dreams/goals/self.
• No Matter what happens, you don’t make any judgments about yourself.
• No matter what the situation in your life, you must turn it around.

If you are angry, make it the function of your enlightened state of life. Whatever quality is fundamental to your life, pray and take action to appreciate it and it will bring out unbelievable power.

No one person is leading others. We are all being lead by certain principles, values, and attributes.

We share a common desire to live meaningful lives and for our families, businesses, and communities to be healthy and prosper. Yet, in times of uncertainty it’s easy to slip into fear and react instead of considering a calm response of wisdom and inclusion.

Beyond limitation and constraint

What if you lived as if you never had any limitations, any restrictions or any fears? What would that be like? There is a way to view our lives that puts the past in an understandable perspective and frees us to create a positive future.

Courage – bringing it to the moment
Regardless of our present situation, the best course of action for moving our life and work forward is by seeing through any fears that would obscure our goals.

When we acknowledge what we have learned from our experience and impersonally identified the thought and action necessary to achieve our goal and objective, the limitation ceases to impress us and we can proceed effectively and peacefully.

Authenticity – letting honesty foster cooperation
Our well-being and success is dependent on the personal honesty we bring to our relationship with ourselves and others. Self-worth, integrity and follow-through contribute to understanding, trust, and confidence that negate conflict and foster peace and positive action.

The ability to streamline decision-making and follow-through begins with choosing to bring our innate intelligence and confidence to the work of our interactions with others and the goals of our organizations.

Inspiration – leading from possibility, not circumstance
Bringing out the best in people, in any climate of uncertainty, takes the kind of leadership that can effectively blend intuition, self-control, responsibility and respect for others.

How would your personal and professional life be different if you saw the best of your self in others? What would we be able to accomplish together?

Millennium Clothesline Exhibit Eugene, Oregon

It is important to celebrate our heritage, be it cultural, ethnic or spiritual. It is also important to respect those of others. However, only acknowledging what makes us different from others, while ignoring the common source of life that connects us all, leads to divisiveness rather than harmony. Our true identity is to be found beneath the surface.

Daisaku Ikeda discusses the idea of a shared identity in his poem ‘Sun of Jiyu Over a New Land: “When neighbors distance themselves / from neighbors, continue your / uncompromising quest / for your truer roots / in the deepest regions of your lives…. Here is the home, the dwelling place / to which humankind traces / its original existence — / beyond all borders, / beyond all differences of gender and race. / Here is a world offering true proof of our humanity”

The Chinese character for “person” (ren) shows two people leaning on each other. Some consider it to be one of the most important words in Chinese thought. The character for the quality of “humanity” (ren) is made of the characters for “person” and “the number two,” meaning two people who face each other, two people communicating, two people who love each other. In other words, there is no such thing as an isolated individual.

Each of us is linked together into a single living entity, and those links are not limited to the human world. They extend to the natural world and the cosmos, and all existence as one organic whole.

The solution to a problem is found within the problem. Transforming issues of human rights and racism entails our having trust in the transformative power of life. For life is what we all share in common. When we develop and act upon this trust, the most difficult challenge can become an opportunity to transform issues of division into creative powers harmony and peace.

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.
~ Vincent van Gogh

Most of us will greet the New Year with at least some degree of uncertainty. Predicting where we will be in 5-10 years is increasingly difficult. Many of today’s industries and careers will vanish, while new ones, yet unknown, will emerge – transforming our past into a new future. In such an age who will step into these uncertain waters?

A calm voice stirs in the heart of the entrepreneur. Few people will listen to this voice. Of the few who do, even fewer will continue in the face of adversity. Yet, this age more than ever calls for such a spirit and effort.

Yes, the waters may appear dangerous. In a society preoccupied with seeking comfort there are a few who choose to live the challenge. When we step into these unknown waters we place the innermost reaches of our life in public view. Our strengths become visible – along with our frailties. We would prefer to keep our weaknesses hidden for none to see. Yet, seeking to live fully requires the full expression of life – strengths and frailties.

As we look to the New Year, and this day, let courage lead us through these new waters. Realize that we are exploring new worlds of possibility as humanity has always done. As we face these new challenges, and opportunities, trust that our genuine efforts will contribute to our family and community.

I asked her, “do you like the work you do?”

She replied, “Oh, yes. I work for a wonderful company, but the work I do doesn’t make any difference. I want to do something that makes a difference in the world.”

Her timing could not have been better. Her remarks brought to mind an experience I had two weeks prior to this event.

I shared of a recent visit to company. I was waiting in the lobby for an appointment with the CEO. As I was waiting, the receptionist began to talk with me, and I recall her bright and enthusiastic voice.

She was preparing Christmas presents to send to clients. She mentioned that each year her company has a local artist create something that they can send to clients. She then shared the gift they had been sent the previous year. It was a collection of bookmarkers. Each one had a beautiful illustration from nature on one side that reflected a poem on the other side of the bookmark. She then gave one of the packets of bookmarks. I happily accepted the gift! Now, years later, I am still enjoying those beautiful bookmarks.

The receptionist then went on to share about the wonderful people she worked with.

The highlight of my appointment was the conversation with that receptionist. She really made a difference in my life that day. In fact, that receptionist continues to be an inspiring example of the difference a healthy conversation, and workplace, can make.

I shared this story at the lunch table and suggested to the women who wanted to do work that makes a difference that perhaps the real difference to make is in the interactions she has with people throughout the day at her present job.

Our lunch concluded and we all went back to our training program.

A year or two later I was in Portland Oregon attending a conference. To my surprise the same women who had been at that lunch table with me was at the conference! She saw me from a distance and came running toward me, “Chuck, I am so happy to see you. I want you to know that I didn’t leave my job. I realized that I love the work I am already doing and that I am already making a difference!”

I thanked her for sharing. As I left, the thought came to me “perhaps we are a little too focused on trying to make a difference. Perhaps we are already making a difference and that the real difference lies in our daily interactions with those close to us?

The Chinese character for “person” (ren) shows two people leaning on each other. Some consider it one of the most important words in Chinese thought. The character for the quality of “humanity” (ren) is made of the characters for “person” and “the number two,” meaning two people who face each other, two people communicating, two people who love each other. In other words, there is no such thing as an isolated individual.

Each of us is linked together into a single living entity, and those links are not limited to the human world. They extend to the natural world and the cosmos, and all existence as one organic whole.

Buddhism regards the relations and mutual interdependence of things and human beings as more important than the individual view of their existence. This view is linked to the teaching of dependent origination.

This perspective begins with treasuring our own life, then the individuals around us, finally extending outward to encompass all people. This is not to be viewed linearly, however. Treasuring ourselves exist simultaneously with treasuring the people and environment around us.

Developing fulfilling relationships begins with accepting full responsibility for our life and our role in developing relationships with other people and the natural world. To heal our life we engage in the world around us. We work for the happiness of others, with the awareness that supporting others contributes to our own happiness and well-being. When we forget this, our efforts to support others can have us begrudging our own life.

Sufferings can arise from “looking outside of oneself” for the cause or the solution to problems. Through our day-to-day efforts, we come to see that the relationships we have formed are a reflection of our own state of life.

Erroneous beliefs about our self and others, which lead to suffering, can often be traced to what Buddhism calls the three poisons of greed, anger and foolishness. In particular, anger, compounded of equal measures of arrogance and self-centeredness, is destructive to relationships. Anger can lead to strife and conflict—internally, among people, groups, nations, and the natural world.

It is important that when we look at the condition of anger and arrogance that we do not judge either our self or others for experiencing these thoughts.

We all have an innate desire to make a difference and end suffering in the world. Anger often arises from a sense of helplessness at our being able to do away with this suffering. Through our compassionate actions, we encourage hope in our self and others. Compassion suggests that we not judge anyone. Rather, we look to GIVING COURAGE to possibility and progress.

In the book “The Buddha in Your Mirror” the authors refer to three kinds of relationships:

Independent
The stand-alone self, we are in control. The strong, confident self, however, can easily become arrogant and isolated. The arrogant person will be unable to sustain fulfilling relationships.

Dependent
People give respect and love, but not freely; strings are attached. Your happiness is dependent upon another’s behavior—upon his or her validation or your worthiness of being loved. Depending upon another to validate that we are worthy of love gives that person control over our emotions and self-esteem. We have given up our power.

Contributive
We work to develop a strong self-identity and the ability to be happy inwardly. Standing upon the firm foundation of our own happiness, we can then nurture contributive, giving relationships, relationships in which we give our love freely without attachments and expectations. We are not needy of others. Nor are we addicted to the other.

It is not as though we first develop this strong self before contributing to others. We take on-going action to bring forth this life condition through engaging in compassionate practice—compassion for our self and others.