fermentations

Living in Korea, I've developed a different reaction to the word "fermentation" than I had in my old life. 

Fermented cabbage (kimchi) and fermented soy beans (dwenjang) are the staple of a healthy Korean diet and I spend about 300-400 dollars a year on premium fermented Chinese teas (not bad if you consider how much some people spend on coffee in a year, or fermented alcohol while we're at it...).

But over the last few weeks, I've come across several separate references that the Buddha made to "mental fermentations".

At first I was a little stuck on the term, taking it as a good thing, but also realizing the negative implication at the same time. Mental fermentations aren't of the same benefit as the kimchi that must make up a good percentage of my body, by now, even though kimchi and tea are what I've become accustomed to associating the word "fermented" with. When I really thought about mental fermentations, and what the word used to mean, I started seeing images along the lines of August compost buckets and other things like that...

Then, thinking back to kimchi and dwenjang and mind, instead of seeing their fermentations as good or bad, but instead just as something that is, I realized the similarity is that something in them changed and grew. Kimchi is no longer just cabage, dwenjang is no longer just soy beans and a mind is no longer pure but full of all the thoughts, opinion, ideas that I build my universe around. 

He who, knowing, declared
release for all beings
from the snare of death,
welfare
for beings human & divine,
the methodical Dhamma —
seeing & hearing which,
many people grow clear & calm;
who is skilled in what is & is not the path,
his task done, fermentation-free:
is called
one of great discernment,
bearing his last body,

awake.

-Vassakara Sutta

Whatever is impermanent is dukkha

"Whatever is impermanent is dukkha. This is the true meaning of the Buddha's words: 'In brief the five Aggregates of  Attachment  are dukkha.'"

Since the five aggregates are impermanent and ever changing, this becomes the basis of the First Noble Truth.

Consciousness depends

According to the Buddha, it is through the five aggregates that consciousness exists. Consciousness depends on matter, sensation, perception and mental formations, and it cannot exist independently from them.

The five aggregates are all impermanent and ever changing, likewise, consciousness, or what we consider our 'self' is impermanent and never the same for two consecutive moments.

The Buddha explained;

"Consciousness is named according to whatever condition through which it arises: on account of the eye and visible forms arises a consciousness, and it is called visual consciousness; on account of ear and sounds arises a consciousness, and it is called auditory consciousness; on account of nose and odour arises a consciousness, and it is called olfactory consciousness; on account of tongue and tastes arises a consciousness, and it is called gustatory consciousness; on account of body and tangible objects arises a consciousness, and it is called tactile consciousness; on account of the mind and mind-objects (ideas and thoughts) arises a consciousness, and it is called mental consciousness."


"It is just like a mountain river, flowing far and swift, taking everything with it; there is no moment, no instant, no second when it stops flowing, but it goes on flowing and continuing. So is human life, like a mountain river."

Monday Morning Blues; Ball n' Chain

I'd like to say this song connects to the five clinging aggregates but really I just love Big Mama Thornton!

Janis Joplin fans might also enjoy this one...

Sunday Photo; Pura Ulun Batur

the five clinging-aggregates

"And what are the five clinging-aggregates?

"Whatever form — past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near — is clingable, offers sustenance, and is accompanied with mental fermentation: That is called the form clinging-aggregate.

"Whatever feeling — past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near — is clingable, offers sustenance, and is accompanied with mental fermentation: That is called the feeling clinging-aggregate.

"Whatever perception — past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near — is clingable, offers sustenance, and is accompanied with mental fermentation: That is called the perception clinging-aggregate.

"Whatever mental fabrications — past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near — are clingable, offer sustenance, and are accompanied with mental fermentation: Those are called the fabrications clinging-aggregate.

"Whatever consciousness — past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near — is clingable, offers sustenance, and is accompanied with mental fermentation: That is called the consciousness clinging-aggregate.

"These are called the five clinging-aggregates."

consciousness aggregate

Whatever consciousness is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: That is called the consciousness aggregate.

These are called the five aggregates.

fabrications aggregate

Whatever mental fabrications are past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: Those are called the fabrications aggregate.

perception aggregate

Whatever perception is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: That is called the perception aggregate.

feeling aggregate

"Whatever feeling is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: That is called the feeling aggregate.

form aggregate

At Savatthi. There the Blessed One said, "Monks, I will teach you the five aggregates & the five clinging-aggregates. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak."

"As you say, lord," the monks responded.

The Blessed One said, "Now what, monks, are the five aggregates?"

"Whatever form is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near: That is called the form aggregate."

the 5 aggregates

Something I've noticed about myself...

I don't like unfamiliar, ten-letter words. Words like 'aggregates', for example.

Generally, that wouldn't be a problem in terms of practice, except for when it comes to studying. So, I'm going to spend the next few days looking a bit deeper than the usual glances I've given to the Buddha's teachings on the five aggregates. If your more inclined to studying the sutras than I, you won't learn anything, but I hope you like the photos! For those who don't know what the five aggregates are, I'm going to keep it slow and simple... 


I first saw the word "aggregates" while reading Walpola Rahula's 'What the Buddha Taught';

What we call a 'being', or an 'individual', or 'I', according to Buddhist philosophy, is only a combination of ever-changing physical and mental forces of energies, which may be divided into five groups or aggregates (pancakkhandha). 

The Buddha says : 'In short these five aggregates of attachment are dukkha'. Elsewhere he distinctly defines dukkha as the five aggregates: 'O bhikkhus, what is dukkha? It should be said that it is the five aggregates of attachment'. Here it should be clearly understood that dukkha and the five aggregates are not two different things; the five aggregates themselves are dukkha.

So, that leaves us wondering, what are the five aggregates?

Monday Morning Blues; Free and Equal Blues

Josh White • Free and Equal Blues

It may not be a song about ultimate freedom, but it was a step in the right direction...

Sunday Photo; doorway in Bangkok

thrown

It's amazing how quickly things can be thrown off balance when your not careful...

The odd thing is that many of the things that are throwing me off, right now, are not even of this moment, but anticipations; moving to a new place, a new house, a new job, awaiting a new baby...

Being in the car accident was the first bump outside of the routine, then spending a few days in the hospital with a sore back, I stopped meditating and haven't been able to get back into any consistent routine. Suddenly everything started to feel like a dream, but not an insightful one, more of a hazy, out of touch with reality, waiting for life to start happening again instead of paying attention to the life that's passing now.

The good thing is, just become aware of this state allows me to now observe it it, and just that simple act of mindfulness has been centering.

Just before writing this, I came across a photo I took at the Tibet Museum in McLeod Ganj of a photo of the Dalai Lama when he first crossed into India in 1951. I found it a bit of inspiration how much of a centered human being he has remained even with all the adversity he's face over the past sixty years.

not become centered

The mind of one who suffers does not become centered. When the mind is uncentered, phenomena (dhammas) don't become manifest. When phenomena aren't manifest, one is classed simply as one who dwells in heedlessness.

-Pamadaviharin Sutta

Qing Yan Fǎng ~ the Boat of Purity and Ease

At the Summer Palace, in Beijing, there is this beautiful stone structure supporting a two-story wooden pavilion, painted to look like a marble ship.

One of the empresses was prone to seasickness, so the "ship" was built for her to enjoy the water without leaving the stability of land.

On each deck, there are large mirrors that reflect the water, creating a sensation of being totally immersed.

It is also said that the pavilion may have been designed after Wei Zheng, a Tang Dynasty chancellor, told the emperor "The waters that float the boat can also swallow it", meaning that the people who support the him also have the power to over throw him.

song-pyeon

Today is the last day of the Chu-seok holiday in Korea, a bit similar to Thanksgiving.

A traditional treat for this holiday is "song-pyeon", a special style of rice cake.

After preparing the dough, you flatten a piece in your hand, scoop a spoonful of sugar mixed with sesame seeds, fold it over, and pinch the seam to seal it, then steam them with pine needles.

They say, if you can make nice looking song-pyeon, then you will have beautiful babies!

Monday Morning Blues; Captain Pinetar

Eric Surette • Captain Pinetar

On August 30th, one of my parents' oldest friends had an accident while playing on a trampoline with his son and broke his neck and injured his spinal cord.

While I was talking to my mom about it, he actually sent a message (via his daughter) from the hospital saying the doctors were able to repair his spinal cord and that they aren't sure how much of his motor function will return, but he was sure to add he can still sing!

Here is a song he performed about the friend my father came to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia with back in the Seventies, written by Bob Wallace.

Get well soon, Eric!

Captain Pinetar

I first met Pinetar Wonderbar when he came down East with Joe 

A viking ship in disguise just outside of Pubnico  

They had Tinkerbell the Lobster locked up down below

Hotcakes on the galley stove and many miles to go...

You can still hear stories about the day he came to shore

We seen him comin' up the bay three miles out or more

They eased 'er up alongside, didn't even spill their wine

When they found they couldn't hold her, they'd smoked the forward spring line

I thought I heard Captain Pinetar say beneath his breath

"I'd rather be a sailor, I believe that's all that's left."

The last time I saw Wonderbar he was sailin' in the pink

Castin' off from mooring line, he turned and smiled and winked

And he left us all there wond'rin' if it might have been a joke

Or some scientific reason in the words he never spoke? 

I thought I heard Captain Pinetar say beneath his breath

"I'd rather be a sailor, I believe that's all that's left."

Sunday Photo; Hyangwonjeong

Fina proclaims her religion

 Buddha? Uh-uh!


 

 Jesus? No!

 

Pororo? Yay!!!

up the cable car in Palgongsan

When I lived in Daegu the first time, I would often head to Palgong Mountain on the weekend if I didn't have the money to travel somewhere else in the countryside. So, last weekend, I was happy to bring EunBong and Fina to a place I'd spent so much time at int he past.

We started with a ride up the cable car, which made EunBong scream like if we were riding a roller coaster, and in turn made Fina burry her head in her chest, but once we made it to the top everyone was fine!

It was amazing being back there after so long. I'd forgotten what a beautiful mountain it was, covered in green, stony ridge running along the top, a couple hermitages dotting the trail down.

We had lunch at the cable car restaurant then sat in the sun on the large granite stones, enjoying the view.

We came back down and walked across to Donghwasa, a major temple in the area. There was a festival for the mountain that weekend, so it wasn't an ideal time to show EunBong one of my favorite temples, but it definitely made it interesting... There was a huge stage set up in the courtyard with a rock band  doing sound check, followed by a mala of lip sync performances, in which most of the girls ended up being too embarrassed to do their usually choreography, I couldn't tell if it was stage fright or the fact that they were at a temple that was throwing them off...

We circled the crowd and made our way up to the main Dharma Hall where I was disappointed to see the beautiful round staircase in front of the hall had been replaced by plain, square stairs. EunBong went in to do three bows, and I would have liked to but Fina didn't want to, so I stayed outside with her and walked around.

After a few minutes, EunBong came around the back of the temple to tell me she'd just had a really amazing experience. After leaving the Main Hall, she followed the path up to a smaller shrine where an old monk was sitting in meditation. She didn't want to disturb him by going in, so she stood in the doorway and said to the Buddha that she's sorry she's so greedy wanting to have a son, but she hopes only that the baby will be healthy. As she stood in the doorway, a ray of sunlight moved slowly across her belly and she felt the warmth deep inside. She told me she felt like at that moment the spirit of the baby came into her.

We walked down the trail to see the really big Buddha in front of the REALLY big Dharma Hall, which Fina found really, really exciting, then, finally, continued down the path to the old Silla era carving of the Buddha touching the earth.

Medicine Buddha mantra

The first time I read the Medicine Buddha's mantra, it nearly turned me off from Mahayana Buddhism completely, but I've learned to appreciate it in a different way over the years...

for Grandma Tina and Eric

moving to Gyungsan

The little piece of Korea I've considered home for most of the last five years has finally become too expensive for us to stay in any longer, so we made the decision to move south next month, close to Daegu, where I originally lived when I arrived in 2005.

We found a cozy, little two-story flat on the edge of a little university town, that was it's own little country once upon a time, before being absorbed by the neighboring kingdom. Just around the corner and down the road from our house are the ancient royal tombs, sitting on a grassy hill, overlooking rice fields and the foothills of Palgongsan.

My high school friend lives a couple of towns over with her husband so we're very happy to be close enough to see them more often. And a ten minute bus ride into Daegu brings me back to where I lived from a year and a half, and my old manager already offered me a job at her new school and said she'd also help get as lots of private students in the meantime. She was the best manager I've had at any school I've worked at in Korea so it will be nice to connect with her again.

Mostly, we're happy to get out of the city and to be going somewhere more authentically Korea. We were living in what is known as the "Korean Beverly Hills" but after the time I spent there, i think that might say as much about the people's attitudes than the actual place. There is a certain amount of comfort we'll be giving up, but we'll be gaining something else.

I'm excited for October, when the rice fields will be a golden blaze, to bring Fina for walks through them.

Socrates' "not knowing"

The "Buddha-dharma" is a term used to name the teachings of the Buddha and translates something like the universal law or natural law of the universe according to the Buddha.

But these laws or rules are not unique or exclusive to the Buddha. He may just have been unique in the extent and detail of which he expounded the Dharma.

Truth is truth no matter what the source.

It's interesting to see that not many years after the Buddha lived, Socrates had some teachings very similar to what you might hear at a Dharma Talk today in Korea.

"Know yourself," some of Socrates most famous words, sounds a lot like, "Who am I?", the most common question to focus on in Korean Zen.

When once asked if he knew himself, Socrates replied, "No, but I understand this not knowing."

Monday Morning Blues; The Inner Light

Without going out of your door 

You can know all things of earth 

With out looking out of your window 

You could know the ways of heaven 

 The farther one travels 

The less one knows 

The less one really knows 

 Arrive without traveling 

See all without looking 

Do all without doing

I never really understood this song until I moved half way around the world.

And then, of course, learning to practice has slowly let me see not knowing on a more subtle level...

Sunday Photo; Gamelan in Ubud, Bali

Tongdosa and the Nine Dragon Pond

Nine Dragon Pond

 In Korea, there are three special temples know as the "Three Jewel", each representing one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism; the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

Deep in the southern mountains is Tongdosa, the temple representing the Buddha, splendid in both atmosphere and spirit. But when the temple was founded in the year 646, there were nine evil dragons occupying the pond that the monk JaJang had to contend with.

At first, he tried chanting a mantra to make them leave but they refused, so he brushed the character for fire on a sheet of paper and, tossing it into the air, whacked the pond with his stick. With this, the water began to boil. Soon, three of the dragon flew out from the water, but collided into a cliff and died. Five other dragons flew south, and settled permanently in what is now known as Five Dragon Valley. Finally, the last dragon emerged, blinded by the boiling water. He made a vow to JaJang that if his life were spared he would be the temple guardian. JaJang accepted his offer, and the dragon remains as the temple's guard.