The Mormon Buddhist

There are special sunglasses that allows some colorblind people  the ability to see color . They get to understand something that to them was previously ineffable (extremely hard to express and definitively define). People describe it as breathtaking and life-changing. One video even  featured an artist  reading a book for toddlers that showed all the colors that he had never seen, and him crying from overwhelming happiness. However, for some colorblind people,  the glasses don't work  and colors will continue to be ineffable to them. In the same way, enlightenment is ineffable. Some people are able to come to understand it and its breathtaking and life-changing, and others simply aren't. There is a lot of attachment to the words "enlightenment" and "nirvana/nibbana". These are just words used to convey something that is ineffable, and not something that is ethereal or unobtainable. The two concepts are very often confused, even among Buddhists. In additio

Imagine you were walking through a barn and you see something coiled and its right near your foot. Your first instinct is that it is a snake, and that you should run. However, when you stop and look at it more closely, you find out that its just some rope. From this scenario, we learn there are 2 types of truths: relative and absolute. Once I discover that the snake was actually a rope, I had a choice: I could cling to my wrong understanding and keep beleiving it was a snake, or I could face the music and admit I was wrong and that it was a rope. This, I think leads right into "suchness" very easily. By no longer clinging to my wrong view, I am able to enjoy things as they are. However, letting things be as they are can be difficult. You may see a flower, but you start to see everything that makes the flower, like water, fertilizer, sunshine, and proper cultivation. You start to see that everything has a reason why its there. In this way, nothing has a definitive self, a

This week's reading was a lot about history and how some sects and schools of thought came to be. It was difficult for me to understand, much like the history section of our last book. However, I was really struck by the differences of Hinayana (Theravada) and Mahayana in the reading this week. Specifically the pages of 31-33 (in my edition of "Mahayana Buddhism" by Beatrice Lane Suzuki). It was a bit confusing to read in the form of a book, so I made a chart to highlight the differences. I think I take a little from each side. I enjoy the realistic outlook of Hinayana, but I like the altruism of Mahayana. I like the belief that Buddha was just a guy in Hinayana, but I like that his teachings can be implemented outside of monasticism in Mahayana. I like viewing Buddhism as more of a code of ethics as Hinayana does, but I also like the concept of helping others achieving the ideal state as Mahayana supports. I think much can be learned from both sides. It would be

What is desire? What is it attachment? Are they they same thing? If they are, is it bad to desire? If it's bad to desire, where to goals and basic needs like food fit in? Are they bad as well? Should I strive to want absolutely nothing, essentially erasing myself from existence? This is a very common misunderstanding of the Buddhist teaching of "attachment", but can be very easy to clarify with a short analogy: I could desire to see a movie, and this is totally fine. If I end up missing the movie, there are 2 things I could do: Just say "darn", go see it another time, and move on with life. Act grumpy and pouty all day.  The latter reaction is the one we want to avoid because it is an attachment to the reality where I didn't miss the movie. The former is the one that we should strive for in all aspects of our life. Here's a couple of more serious real-world examples I've found in life: One day I am going to lose my wife. I'm not pla

Do we have free will? Is there a God? Is there an afterlife? Is there a Heaven or Hell in this afterlife? How do I go to Heaven instead of Hell? Do I have to please the God(s)? These are just some of the ultimately unanswerable questions that many religions try to answer. My answer to all of these questions is a simple one: who cares? One of my favorite quotes is often attribute to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, which reads as this: Life a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. This life is the life you are living right now. Instead of wasting your time and potential life experiences worrying about all these unanswerable questions, you should focus o

I have always had a difficult time falling asleep, especially when I was younger. My mind races and its hard to shut it off. As I'm writing this its 4:30 AM, and I still might be up for a while! When I was about 8 and fed up with laying in bed for hours, just waiting for exhaust to overcome me and allow me to sleep, I developed a simple technique to help me fall asleep easier. I would breathe slowly and focus on my heart rate. It would often be difficult to focus on my heart rate without feeling an artery, or I'd get fed up with not falling asleep yet. However, if I laid still and was intent on focusing on my heart rate, it would always eventually slow, and eventually I would drift off into sleep. Over a decade later I realized I had, at a very young age, taught myself how to meditate. I still use the technique on nights where sleep is difficult, but I learned how to improve it. Noah Rasheta of SecularBuddhism.com , who has been a key influence in my Buddhist practice,