Ch’an Lineage Discipleship

It was official: I had just landed on another planet.

Got off from my late Friday shift at St. Mary’s ER in West Palm Beach, drove up to Hobe Sound, cleaned up and drove back down to Jupiter to have a drink before the bars closed. It was a full moon and I braided my hair myself, something I rarely have the coordination to do. It was already an odd night.

Walking in to the bar shortly after midnight the place was still crowded and noisy, and everyone was already pretty well lit. Noticed I was the only hippie in the place but had ties to the area that went back decades and had been living there for over a year. I was working at two hospitals, I belonged as much as anyone else in the land of transplants and tourists. I figured it was home.

Bellied up to as good of a space as there was to get a drink, which was behind a couple seated at the bar. Had to reach around the guy to make the transaction and he seemed a little tense. I got my drink and stood a little to the side and backed away from him, but the space was tight. I kept aware of him because he seemed to be continuing to be agitated over something.

After a couple minutes he suddenly put both hands on the edge of the bar and pushed his chair back forcefully, trying to knock into me. I thought for a flash about putting my foot at the base of his chair and watching him go over backwards and brain himself on the floor, but just shifted the few inches it took to get out of the way and turned to face him. He was standing and appeared to be ready to fight. His partner said something to him and grabbed his arm as I moved away to the wall on the other side of the bar, which I should have done minutes before.

OK – this is another world from New Mexico alright, and I don’t fit in. Gonna finish this drink and get the hell outta here and never come back to this place… hope that jerk isn’t out in the parking lot……

“Excuse me, but you’re not from around here, are you?”  I turn at the sound of a female voice and look into the clear, bright eyes of a woman about my age, maybe a few years older. We connect. Maybe she will get it, and if not, I am out of here anyway.  “No – I’m from Arcturus. Tell me – do Earthlings use that line a lot?”.  She does get it, and laughs. We learn we share an interest in Asian Martial and Healing Arts. She is a massage therapist and studies T’ai Chi under a Lineage Master and would be happy to introduce me to him. The night, rather than being a bust, is turning into a jackpot……

To Be Continued: Next Installment – The Er Mei Lineage and Master Fu, Wei – Zhong.

” There is an old folk song that teaches that very clearly. It goes:

There once was a traveler

who happened upon ten men by the seaside.

Each of the men was over a hundred years old,

and each was healthy and strong.

The traveller came close and begged them

to tell their secret: how did they live so long and stay so happy?

The first old man stroked his beard and said: I don’t drink.

The second old man smiled and said: After every meal, I take a short walk.

The third old man laughed and said: I am content with eating fruit and vegetables and grains.

The fourth old man carried a heavy stick by his side and said : I enjoy walking wherever I can instead of riding.

The fifth old man rolled up his shirt sleeves and said: I take pleasure in doing my own small chores.

The sixth old man , with a graceful movement, said: I follow the example of the sun and the moon and practice T’ai Chi.

The seventh old man rubbed his big nose and said: I open the windows and let the fresh air in.

The eight old man touched his mustache and said:My way is early to bed and early to rise.

The ninth old man rubbed his cheeks and said: I bathe myself in the sun and let my skin absorb its radiance.

The tenth old man raised his eyebrows and said: I always keep my mind clear of emotion, and allow neither anger nor worry nor fear to stay there.

If anyone can follow these simple guide lines, he will find happiness and enjoy a long and healthy life. They are the source of many good methods and practices which can enable one to overcome all mental, physical, and spiritual problems; they are the true religion of mankind.

After achieving oneself through objective experiment and personal realization, one should then teach others to regard their own body as a temple, their own mind as a high priest, and their entire life being as the true substance of worship. This is by no means self worship in the ordinary sense, for through developing one’s own life being, one’s achievement becomes the truth of human achievement. Thus it is people who develop themselves in this way who are the true leaders of human progress.” 

Master Ni, Hua Ching, The Uncharted Voyage Toward the Subtle Light

 “We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we forget, is the common lot. I grew up and I found my purpose and it was to become a physician. My intent wasn’t to save the world as much as to heal myself. Few doctors will admit this, certainly no young ones, but subconsciously, in entering the profession, we must believe that ministering to others will heal our woundedness. And it can. But it can also deepen the wound . . . You live it forward, but understand it backward.”-Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This story came up during a conversation with Roshi Joan Halifax last week and I thought before it got lost in my increasingly suspect memory I would record it………

The End of the Search for Siddhis-

This was it. After years of looking I had finally found a fully vetted Vajrayana master of verifiable lineage who was giving teachings and empowerment in the tummo practice. Power in all its forms was my main interest at the time, physical, psychic, financial, political. I was ready to learn this practice and use it and the power it could generate to advance my practice and my life.

Years of martial arts had left me with an injured low back which I disguised with a very erect posture. New to this Sangha, I sat right in front of the Lamas all week long, trying to demonstrate my capacities, hoping they would notice that I sat better and taller than anyone else, that my practice was more advanced, my meditation more stable and single pointed and focused. In my delusion I thought I was as advanced as the Lamas themselves…..and I wanted them to recognize and acknowledge this, or at least praise me for being a great practitioner.

At the end of the week of teaching came the Empowerment, and the complicated visualization practice I thought would give me the ability to withstand cold of any extreme. And after that the chance I had been waiting for, when we could ask questions of the Lamas.

Lama Kenchen Palden Sherab, now deceased, and Lama Tsewang Dongyal, were known as the Khenpo Brothers. Lama Kenchen spoke only in Tibetan, and his brother translated for him. They were, and Lama Tsewang remains, true, stainless, immaculate teachers of the Dharma.

I raised my hand and asked: “How do we know that we are progressing in the practice?” I was expecting a detailed explication of the stages, something along the lines of “First you will notice a gentle warning in the lower belly, this will intensify, and when you truly meld the red and white drops you will produce a heat which will fill your entire body….”.

 Lama Kenchen looked through me for a moment with the clear light of Dharma shining from his form. He knew what I was asking and what I expected as an answer.  He smiled, and said simply: “Well, of course, if your Love and Compassion are increasing, you are doing the practice properly.”

The moment was as close to Satori as anything I have ever experienced. Years of desire for power manifested in hard work and rigorous training appeared as the egotistical foolishness they had been, and disappeared as the realization of the truth of his statement flooded through me.

 I remain grateful beyond words for the graciousness, gentleness, and skillful means with which Lama Kenchen dismantled a big piece of my ego in a moment and set me on a more compassionate path. I hope all practitioners meet with true Dharma teachers such as Lama Dongyal and Roshi Joan and progress in their practice.

May it benefit all and bring harm to none, JR

 It’s about a month into the New Year. Do you already wish you had a do-over for your New Year’s Resolutions?

If so, you’re in luck. You do.

February 10th is the Chinese lunar New Year. The celebration of the New Year, the Spring Festival, is China’s longest and most important holiday. Because it is based on a different calendar, it falls on a different date between January 21 and February 20 every year.

You can think of Spring Festival as Christmas and New Year all rolled into one. Just like our holiday season, it’s a time of celebration, visiting family and friends, giving gifts and preparing for the next year.

Chinese Lunar New Year: Spring Festival

In China, there are many New Year’s traditions during the 15-day Spring Festival. Many people clean their homes to sweep away the past year and usher in the next. Oftentimes family members travel home for a visit.

Children receive red envelopes, called hóngbo in Mandarin, filled with money from their relatives. 

People hang red lanterns outside their homes to bring happiness and good luck. On Chinese New Year’s Eve families gather for a huge meal and enjoy “lucky” foods together. And, of course, there are fireworks.

The Chinese zodiac has 12 years in its cycle, each one represented by an animal; 2013 is the Year of the Snake. Astrologers say that people born in the Year of the Snake are wise but enigmatic. They are very intuitive and size up situations well, but say little. 

Snakes are refined; they like to dress well and are usually financially secure. They are intense and passionate in relationships, but can become jealous and suspicious. Snakes prefer a calm, stress-free environment.

Recommit to Your New Year’s Resolutions

The Chinese do not traditionally make New Year’s Resolutions like we do in the west, however this is a good time to reflect on the goals you set a month ago. Are you keeping your New Year’s resolutions?

If you’re having trouble, maybe it’s time to take a lesson from the Snakes. Take a quiet moment and reflect on what is stopping you. Do you need to get serious? Do you need additional support? Are your goals genuine – do you want to do them or do you think you should do them? Why haven’t you kept your New Year’s Resolutions?

If your resolutions include improving your health in 2013, I can help you with that. Give me a call and we can arrange an appointment for anything from a tune-up to weight control to mood balancing.

If you need to make a deeper commitment to your resolutions, take a moment and think about what you need to do to keep them. Write down 3 easy action steps.

…and do them. Now.

Use the Chinese lunar New Year as a do-over. Commit to your New Year’s resolutions.

Gong Xi Fa Cái! in Cantonese, Gong Hey Fat Choy!.  Happy Chinese Lunar New Year!

DR. ROSS AND EAST WEST MEDICAL ARTS