Liberation is not found in separation
Living treasures of Harmony
Dear friend,
How are you today? Did you have a nice week?
I’ve been putting more time aside this week for meditation and painting and I feel content about it. I’m happily struggling and learning about Calligraphy.
ART
Liberation
Will it come from outside ?
a savior fighting for allWill it come from inside ?
a light through our cracksWill it come from above,
Grace bestowed upon us ?Will it come from below,
acceptance of our shadow ?Liberation
knows no directionLiberation
is this momentWithout concept of chains,
How can you be chained ?
ZEN
Awareness day
Today is the 8th of March. "Happy Women's Day" as I often hear.
International Women’s Day is called in French “Women's Rights Day”.
Throughout history and places, fighting for rights has cost many lives.
I am not saying this to be a good "feminist". Neither would I dare to be "not feminist", as both camps seem to be dangerous words nowadays.
But I believe it is important to reflect on any being's fundamental rights.
Citizen's rights, Women's rights, Animal's rights, Nature's rights...
All living things need protection and society has more or less effectively protected its people with constitutions and laws.
Let's applaud when efforts are made.
But instead of following a state, a culture, or even a religion’s law,
please look within you, beyond all those concepts.
If you listen carefully enough,
you will hear in your heart the Divine Law,
the one that doesn't change based on context.
Cultivate Harmony over Discord, with all living beings.
Patriarchy and Enlightenment
Buddhist teachings say that women and men have equal ability to become enlightened.
However, in practice, a strong imbalance was maintained between monks and nuns as a reflection of the societal imbalance.
In a patriarchal system, nuns were under the subordination of monks all the time and sometimes women were even prohibited from spiritual life.
Without getting into any scholarly discussion, we can agree that it seems like a huge misunderstanding of the teachings to deny anyone the opportunity to realize himself.
Discrimination is destruction
In Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, or Myanmar, Buddhist nuns can be novices but until very recently they were still denied from being fully ordained.
Japan is part of the Mahayana tradition, as well as China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In those countries, women have the same right as men to be ordained but the inequality between nuns and monks is still very frequent.
The 13th-century Zen Master Dogen was very clear about his egalitarian views.
But during later periods, Japanese women's condition degraded with fewer rights and lower status. Being discriminated against, the number of Japanese nuns dropped significantly.
If you want a world of diversity, protect all parts from oppression or they will go extinct.
Living treasures of modern Japan
As a Buddhist researcher, Paula Arai was deeply touched by her encounter with Zen nuns embodying Harmony.
She spent some time in a Soto Zen nunnery and published her Thesis in a book called “ Women in Zen”.
Before World War II, most nuns in Japan faced very limiting policies.
They couldn’t access education or teachings. They were not allowed to lead even a middle-rank temple, nor to give transmission to disciples.
It was quite an unfortunate situation that nuns were prevented from access to positions of power or responsibility and denied opportunities to make sustainable money entries.
But at least they were protected from those evident corruption factors that their male counterparts had to struggle with.
In an interesting twist of the situation, the nuns are now important holders of the Zen tradition.
Paula Arai respectfully thinks of them as “Living treasures of Japanese Buddhism”.
“Who knows what’s good or bad?”. Before you engage yourself in a political fight, have you gone beyond the duality of what is right and wrong?
FOOD
Pan-fried Triad: Potatoes/Mushrooms /Greens
As always, delicious and easy to make:
Ingredients:
olive oil for cooking
potatoes - peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
mushrooms - sliced
Greens (kale, spinach, bok choy - choose your favorite!) - chopped
Instructions:
Pre-cook potatoes in boiling water for 15-20 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Fry the potatoes: Add the diced potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender on all sides.
Add the mushrooms and the greens and stir everything together in the pan until all vegetables are softened
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Tips:
Crispy potatoes: To achieve crispier potatoes, ensure your pan is hot enough before adding them. Don't overcrowd the pan, and cook them undisturbed for a few minutes at a time to promote browning.
Take action today
Be the change you want to see in society.
If you want a harmonious society,
first, investigate what is preventing you from being in harmony with yourself.
See you next time,
Maden
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