Recommended

by Danny Fisher

My very dear friend John, who is a tremendously gifted caregiver, recently recommended that I take a look at the Summer 2006 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, specifically the forum with Roshi Bernie Glassman, Robina Courtin, and Ryushin Paul Haller, entitled “How Should I Help?”

The forum explores “the relationship between social engagement and Buddhist practice,” an issue near and dear to my heart. The comments of the teachers are striking in their insightfulness, and I think offer those of us interested in this issue much to consider as we explore the relationship between formal dharma practice and work in the world.

Here are quotes from each participant that kept me thinking after reading the entire piece:

    ROSHI BERNIE GLASSMAN: Separating out action and meditation almost implies that while you’re meditating you’re a Buddhist, and when you step outside of the meditation hall you’re something else.

    [...]

    ROBINA COURTIN: If we were talking about music, the same question would arise: How much do you practice and how much do you perform for others or teach others? The answer seems obvious. The extent to which I have practiced is the only extent to which I can do something worthwhile for others. Otherwise, we’re just wasting time. The more I practice my piano, the more capable I am of putting it out there. If we’re practicing properly and have a sincere wish, we will respond to the need when it arises, better and better all the time.

    [...]

    [RYUSHIN] PAUL HALLER: I’ve noticed that some people definitely come to practice through being of service–doing hospice, prison, or homeless work is the dharma gate they enter through. After a while, the other aspects of practice start to take on relevance and appropriateness. Perhaps in the orthodoxy of our Western practice situations, we think almost exclusively of people coming through the meditative dharma gate…I think we need to examine whether in our communities we have set up a hierarchy where meditation is the primary practice and helping others is a kind of secondary extension…We may think of ourselves here in the West as the orthodoxy, the cornerstone, of Buddhist practice, but if we can put ourselves in a wider context–the context of the whole of Buddhist practice around the world–it’s a lot easier for us not to cling to that position of righteousness…So we should stop assuming that anyone who is sincerely practicing will look and be just like us.

Also included with the “How Should I Help?” forum are a few excellent and quite relevant teachings by Buddhist teachers Gil Fronsdal, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, and Reginald A. Ray.

The Summer 2006 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly is available on newstands now, and you can read an excerpt here.


I also recommend taking a look at last week’s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly cover story on infant mortality. Lucky Severson’s feature pays special attention to Memphis, TN, the city with the highest rate of infant mortality among America’s sixty largest cities. He reports:
    For every 1,000 babies born in Memphis, at least 14 don’t survive, and most of those die within a month. In some parts of Memphis the statistics are even grimmer.

    …Zip code 38108…is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Memphis. The infant mortality rate here is four times the national average and worse than that of many Third World countries.

    Poverty is a major factor behind premature births. Neighborhoods like these, with high teen pregnancy rates, offer little or no prenatal education…And many women don’t get prenatal care because they lack health insurance…Violence and the stress that comes from it is another factor, along with malnutrition.

R&E‘s story is a must-read for those who work in the field of chaplaincy–it points to social justice issues that cry out for our attention not only as caregivers but also as peacemakers.

You can read the story online, or you can download the podcast version here.


Lastly, PBS offers yet another recommendation-worthy piece in an upcoming episode of Bill Moyers On Faith and Reason featuring Acharya Ani Pema Chödrön.

I’ve found what I’ve seen of Moyers’ series terrific so far, and I think Ani Pema is an exquisite teacher of the Dharma. I am very much looking forward to this conversation.

Check your local listings for showtimes. The podcast version of the program should also soon be available for downloading here, and you can always order a DVD recording of Moyers’ interview with Ani Pema here.