Sour Milk

The following is quoted from the blog, "Zen Under the Skin," by a practitioner of Korean Zen (Samu Sunim's lineage) in Detroit.  This blog is written by an African-American student of Dharma, a rare voice in the Dharma community.  I recommend checking it out. 

Like milk,
evil deeds do not sour immediately.
Instead, the souring follows the fool
through time,
hidden until it ripens.

Knowledge and fame are the ruination of a fool.
Pride destroys the fool's illumination.
It destroys her wisdom.

A fool wants recognition,
pride for qualities he does not have,
authority over others,
and honor from people
near and far.

"Let people think
things happen because of me.
Let them obey me in all ways
great and small."
These are the thoughts of a fool
whose conceit grows.

The truth is that one path leads to
worldly gain;
another, to enlightenment.
Knowing this, those who are
students of Buddha
train themselves
not to delight so much
in the favors of the world,
but to stay detached.

[...from the Still Point Dhammapada, Chapter 5 - THE FOOL, pgs. 32-33]

This last line, "...but to stay detached," makes me think.  All too often, we equate detachment with coldness or with burrying our heads in the sand.  People often think that's what monasticism is--running away.  People have said things to me like, "I think it's harder to practice in the world," as if to say that ordination transports you to some other planet.  Or as if to say that the "real world" is the secular one of morning coffee, commutes, romance and career, the one that really counts, and those who take the monastic path have it easy. 

That couldn't be further from the truth.

The monastic path does not allow you to hide from anything as you take all your crap with you wherever you go.  You can run but you can't hide no matter what clothes you wear, no matter your name or hairstyle.  Monastics are, however, supposed to live differently.  We are ideally supposed to create and practice in an environment most conducive to undoing the knots that bind our minds to samsara so that we can effectively stay in the world for the benefit of others.

That brings me back to the original point of this passage from the Dhammapada.  Pride is insidious.  It feels good.  Hate is obviously negative, as are a whole host of other painful, damaging emotions or mental states.  Pride, however, leads us to tell ourselves what we want to hear.  In terms of benefiting others, though, we must be careful of our motivation for stepping forward and taking up the task of teaching the Dharma.  Is it really for the benefit of others or is it for our own agrandizement? 

Of course, that begs the question of why I have a blog.  Usually my posts are just about what I'm up to.  Why do I think it matters enough to post it online?  It's nice for my family, but I suppose I could just send them an email.  I do like the feedback I get from readers sometimes as I usually learn something new.  It's particularly good when I learn something new about myself, like the fact that I still have more pride than I care to admit.