Suck it up, Buttercup! Jojo in the Dojo

How could this psychotic Nazi coach be so mean to little princess Jojo Siwa with the mom looking on in silence? Is this any way to raise a healthy dancer or pop idol? It is the way of Kali, Durga, and ferocity. There has to be a better way to enter the place of the way to discover the Tao of Self-Development.

Punk: clumsy Dancing Shiv' (skanking)

(WQ) The dojo ("the place of the way") is a training center, do or tao being "the way of," and the other portion of the word being the suggested way. Chado is "the Way of Tea" (cha or chai being tea) and taekwondo is "the way of striking with foot and hand," a martial art (method of combat). The Way of the Buddha could be the mantra Buddho, the Ennobling Eightfold Path, rather than the martial arts of Japanese budō (wu-dō) or "Way of War." And Play-Doh (a brand name form of "play dough," the Way of Play") might be a good name for dancing, if dancing weren't taken so very seriously by aspiring dancers. Playdo might be the best name for "the Way of Meditation," chan'do, "the Way of the Way," the Way of Jhana, chan, dhyana, or Zen (which is just the Japanese pronunciation of the Pali word jhana or "meditative absorption").

Jojo Siwa on TV's Dance Moms

Meditation? Start with the mantra "Buddho"

Buddho by Phra Ajahn Thate Desaransi, American Theravada Buddhist monk Ven. Thanissaro (trans) from accesstoinsight.org edited by Wisdom Quarterly

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The Buddha inspired great confidence

When one goes to study meditation with any group or teacher who is experienced in a particular form of meditation, one should first make one's heart confident that that teacher is fully experienced in that form of meditation.

Confidence (saddha)

Be confident that the form of meditation taught is the right path for sure. At the same time, show respect for the place in which one is to meditate. Only then should one begin practicing.

Dedication

Teachers in the past used to require a dedication ceremony as a means of inspiring confidence before one was to study meditation. They would have one make an offering of five pairs of candles and five pairs of white flowers. This was called the five khandha. Or eight pairs of candles and eight pairs of white flowers, which was called the eight khandha. Or one pair of candles each weighing 15 grams and an equal number of white flowers.

Meditation methods

Then they would teach one their particular form of meditation. This ancient custom has its good points. There are many other ceremonies as well, but I won't go into them. I'll mention only a very simple, easy-to-follow ceremony a little further on.

Dhammakaya technique

Only after one has inspired confidence in one's heart as already mentioned should one go to the teacher experienced in that form of meditation. If a teacher is experienced in repeating samma araham, that teacher will teach one to repeat samma araham, samma araham, samma araham.

• (Samma = "right," araham = arahant = "enlightened one," so roughly this could mean "right enlightenment.")

Then the teacher will have one visualize a bright, clear jewel two inches above the navel and tell one to focus the mind there as one continues the repetition, without letting the mind slip away from the jewel. In other words, one takes the jewel as the focal point of the mind.

Rising and falling

If one goes to a teacher experienced in meditating on the rising and falling of the abdomen, that teacher will have one meditate on rising and falling and focus the mind on the different motions of the body.

For instance, when one raises a foot, one thinks "raising." When one places a foot, one thinks "placing," and so on. Or else the teacher will have one focus continually on being preoccupied with the phenomenon of arising and passing away in every motion or position of the body.

Psychic powers

If one goes to a teacher experienced in psychic powers, that teacher will have one repeat na ma ba dha, na ma ba dha and focus the mind on a single object until it takes one to see heavens and hells, deities and brahmas of all sorts, to the point where one gets carried away with those visions.

Breath meditation

If one goes to a teacher experienced in breath meditation, that teacher will have one focus on one's in-and-out breath (ana-pana-sati) and have one keep the mind firmly preoccupied with nothing but the in-and-out breath.

Mantra reptition

If one goes to a teacher experienced in meditating on the mantra buddho, that teacher will have one repeat buddho, buddho, buddho and have one keep the mind firmly on that meditation word until one is fully skilled at it.

Then that teacher will have one contemplate buddho and what it is that is saying buddho. Once one sees that they are two separate things, focus on what's saying buddho. As for the word buddho, it will disappear, leaving only what it is that was saying buddho.

One then focuses on what it is that was saying buddho as the object of meditation.

What is the true cause?

People of our time — people of any time, for that matter — regardless of how educated or capable they may be and especially those of us who are Buddhists: Buddhism teaches causes and effects that are entirely true, but why is it that we have to fall for the claims and advertisements we hear everywhere? It must be because people at present are impatient and want to see results before they have completed the causes, in line with the fact that we are supposed to be in an atomic age.

• (I don't want to criticize any of us as tending to believe in things the truth of which we have not tested because, after all, we all want to know and see the truth.)

Buddhism teaches us to penetrate into the heart and mind, which are mental phenomena. As for the material body, it is a physical phenomenon. Physical phenomena are under the control of mental phenomena.

Training the mind

When we begin to practice meditation and train the mind to be quiet and untroubled, I can't see that we are creating any problems at that moment for anyone at all. If we keep practicing until we are skilled, then we will be calm and at peace.

If more and more people practice this way, there will be peace and happiness all over the world. As for the body, we can train it to be peaceful only as long as the mind is in full control.

The minute mindfulness lapses, the body will return to its old habits. So let's try training the mind by repeating buddho.

Preliminary Steps to Practicing Meditation

Before practicing meditation on the mantra word buddho, start with the preliminary steps. In other words, inspire confidence in the mind, as already mentioned, then bow three times, saying: More

• Jojo Siwa, Mother Siwa, and Nazi Coach (Dance Moms), Ajahn Thate translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (accesstoinsight.com); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly