In the spring as Beth Upton's Joshua Tree meditation retreat was winding down at Dhamma Dena, we realized that civilization was not that far away. On one side there are the Joshua Tree Festival Grounds by the dry lake (home of BhaktiFest). On the other is an odd building with big doors. It's an oasis of culture in the high desert called The Firehouse, a performance space where a firehouse used to be. Justine Chan was reading.
This debut book of poems resonates with a brilliance, retelling ancient Native narratives, handed down for generations as American Indians explained the natural world to themselves.
Everyone was striving for jhana with Upton.
Seattle resident Justine Chan worked as a park ranger at Zion National Park, where she was very moved by the native flora, fauna, and culture. As the only Asian American ranger at Zion, she chose to retell a Southern Paiute Native American folktale for her weekly evening program on coyotes.
The more that long, hot summer unfolded, the more time she spent alone in the desert, the more she retold the story, the more the story became her life.
In that mental space, she began to write.
Should You Lose All Reason(s) is unafraid of looking hard -- back, down, towards, around, forward, at the stories we tell, at herself, at the desert, at the sun, at everything.
Forty days in, we breathed, and the pic snapped.
In conversation with that ancient Southern Paiute folktale handed down through the generations, she weaves together a triptych of poems, works both always on the move and stuck, exile in the wilderness.
Drawing from her experiences serving in AmeriCorps, working many summers as a park ranger, and traveling across the United States, she explores race, loneliness, stories, hauntings, family, landscapes and cityscapes, climate change, survival, music, resilience, the West, and America itself. More
Park ranger poet Justine Chan
ABOUT: Justine Chan is a writer, poet, and singer-songwriter from Chicago, who currently lives in Seattle. Should You Lose All Reason(s) (Chin Music Press, 2023) is her initial release. Her work has appeared in Baltimore Review, Beecher’s, Booth, Poetry on Buses, and Midwestern Gothic, among others. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington and has worked many seasons as a park ranger with the National Park Service.
Dhr. Seven, Kalyana Mitta based on BethUpton.com, Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
Buddhist retreats are the way of attainment for modern Americans with no time to ordain and play the role of monastic -- stressing and fussing, trying to follow endless rules and learning a foreign etiquette. One might sign up to many in search of a great and accomplished teacher.
That's no easy feat, to find a suitable teacher, to carve out the time in our busy lives, and to calm down to make the most of it instead of overdoing it and exhausting oneself, ending up only with frustration and confusion as to what was missing from one's practice.
Wisdom Quarterly made it possible to follow in my successful friend's footsteps to apply for a spot with a better teacher, a successful Western student of the Great Asian Teacher, who's not always easy to understand and has a limited number of ways of explaining things.
This Western teacher was able to find endless ways of explaining things, from the Buddha's examples to modern Western examples one could easily relate to.
So the wilderness was the desert in Southern California, springtime with everything in bloom, windy and cool most of the time, dry and flowering.
After I left Asia, I was still a nun in Europe.
The teacher was Londoner Beth Upton (formerly Sayalay Anutara, a ten precept nun in the forests of Burma).
The lesson was "simple but not easy," to balance my sense of urgency with contentment. Why would I want to reduce my urgency? My sense of urgency brings me to my mat. Ah, I learned, but it's my contentment that keeps me there.
Lesson 1: Let your sense of urgency bring you to the mat. Let your contentment keep you there.
The training was gradual. But, Beth, I'm in a hurry! I've only got a short time to make an end of all time, aka, samsara. "Nirvana is already here," I heard my Mahayana friends whispering in my head. It isn't, but it sure is good to see it that way, because then one is able to relax and exhale (let go).
Then the practice became joyful. I didn't know it was supposed to be joyful. "Love my object"? Who ever heard of such a thing. Did the Buddha say that? Show me the sutra. The "naturals" who take to meditation with the ease a fish takes to water or a bird to the sky know this without knowing. They just do it without all that mediation of thought, debate, doubt, skeptical inquiry, or arguing. Of course it's this way.
Lesson 3: Radically accept it. Love it.
I was meditating on my in-and-out breath. I had been for years. It's a drudge. It's work in exchange for liberation; I've been trying to buy my way out with the "penance" of suffering on the mat, the harder the better. This was all wrong. When I learned to love my object, I didn't need to whip and berate the mind (attention) to stay on it. Focus was easy, as if to say effortless. My mind wanted to go there as it got subtler and subtler.
Lesson 4: The meditation object must be an increasingly subtle one, leaving behind the coarser.
There's a sutra (MN 20, "The Removal of Distracting Thoughts") in which the Buddha gives the meditators pursuing the "higher mind" five pieces of advice on letting go of distractions.
Give attention to something what is wholesome to remove unwholesome thoughts.
Examine the danger of unwholesome thoughts (and then the mind naturally pulls away and averts them without extra effort).
Forget those thoughts and don't give any attention to them.
Give attention to stilling the thought-formation of those thoughts.
Constrain those thoughts by force. (DON'T do this except in extreme cases, as when one is about to commit a defeat offense or engage in really bad karma).
It's the fourth piece of advice that is the key here. Who knows what a thought-formation (sankhara) is? It's not important. What's important is the simile the Buddha gives on HOW to do this:
Coarse or subtle?
Perception gets subtler and subtler
"Just as a person walking quickly might consider, 'Why am I walking quickly? What if I walk slowly? ' and one might walk slowly. Then one might consider, 'Why am I walking slowly?' What if I stand?' and one would stand. Then one might consider, 'Why am I standing? What if I sit?' and one would sit. Then one might consider, 'Why am I sitting? What if I lie down?' and one would lie down. By doing so one would SUBSTITUTE for each coarser/grosser posture a subtler one.
"So, too, when a meditator gives attention to stilling the thought-formation of those thoughts...one's mind becomes steadied internally, quieted, brought to singleness [unity, one-pointedness], and stilled [concentrated, unified, made coherent]."
Lesson 5: Go more and more subtle by leaving the coarse behind.
If we listen sooner, we'll get there sooner.
Therefore, if one is trying to forget, ignore, overcome, or not allow to arise thoughts connected with craving, aversion, or delusion, one should give attention to still the thought-formation of those thoughts" in this way. It's great advice.
Let's replace the coarse with the subtle, the efforting with the ease, breathing in with breathing out, all the while paying attention to the subtle thing before us. This is the way of progress because increasingly subtle things will come up on the Path. And that's the desirable thing to have happen, seemingly effortlessly, not by laziness but by BALANCED effort or "right ease."
Lesson 6: Stay with the pointer or, to be exact, what it's pointing at.
Harry Nilson sings, "Me and My Arrow." What's his point? His point is his pointer, his arrow. In this case, I have my experienced teacher who points the way to what she herself has not only learned but personally experienced. She's the initial pointer.
Lesson 7: Stick with it to the final goal (nirvana in this very life) which, if Mahayana is correct, will be right here.
After that, my own nose is the pointer pointing at my meditation object -- my increasingly subtle breath brought on by my increasingly subtle mind able to remain with my object as it calms and slows and becomes almost imperceptible. Then it becomes light (the threefold nimitta). I ignore it, as instructed. It will strengthen and eventually replace my object (the in-and-out breath) with something even more subtle, all while I keep my attention on exactly the same place, that area right under my nose.
Me and My Arrow
Harry Nilson's original song from the animated 1977 film The Point
(Guru Viking, premiered Aug. 5, 2022) In this interview (Episode 161) Guru Viking is once again joined by [awakened] Beth Upton, meditation teacher, former Theravada Buddhist nun, and successful student of renowned Burmese meditation master Pa Auk Sayadaw.
She shares her emphasis on meditation with the natural rhythms of the body and reveals how she deals with students who experience low motivation, psychological challenges, and even psychosis as a result of meditation practice.
Beth Upton also discusses her own relationship difficulties after disrobing as a nun (sayalay), why she embarked on special communication trainings to address them, and explains why erotic feeling diminishes as one becomes more enlightened.
Shambhala Publications has released a new and revised version of the breakthrough book Jhanas Advice! It is available now from Shambhala and will soon be available on other sites and in bookstores by December 1, 2009. Under a new title with a new cover there is also new content in the chapter on "First Sit to First Jhana." Practicing the Jhanas
The book was presented to Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw a few weeks ago by the authors, Stephen Snyder and Tina Rasmussen, as he sojourns in California in restricted retreat. The authors have a December meditation retreat scheduled, which is about two thirds full at this time. It is taking place at Cloud Mountain retreat center.
Jhana as a Path to Insight with Shaila Catherine and Ven. U Jagara
This retreat will explore how the clarity of a concentrated mind strengthens insight practice. We will introduce the traditional concentration practices that develop powerful focus and unify consciousness in deep absorptions called jhana.
Quaker Center Retreat Facility
1000 Hubbard Gulch Rd., Ben Lomond, CA 95005
October 26 – November 1, 2009
Guided by instructions and individual meetings with the teachers, students can progress through a traditional sequence of training as is appropriate to each one’s needs. This silent retreat is structured with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dharma teachings, and teacher consultations. (Experience with previous silent retreats is required).
INFORMATION: Janet at retreats@imsb.org or (408) 761-9659
REGISTRATION: download application at imsb.org, enclose non-refundable deposit of $200 (payable to Bodhi-Retreats), and
MAIL: Janet Taylor, 4230 Gladys Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
COST: $800 registration fees cover accommodations, meals, a light snacks.
DANA: Compensation for the teachers is not included in the registration fees. There will be an opportunity to offer dana/donations to the teachers at the end of the retreat for those who wish.
TEACHERS SHAILA CATHERINE has been practicing meditation since 1980, with seven years of accumulated silent retreat experience and teaching since 1996. She studied at the Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies in England, and dedicated several years to studying with masters in India, Nepal and Thailand. She is the founding teacher of Insight Meditation South Bay based in Mountain View. She is the author of Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity (calendar).
VENERABLE U JAGARA, born in Canada, was introduced to Buddhist practice in the early 1970’s by Robert Hoover, and ordained as a monk under the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw in Burma in 1979. He spent 15 years in Sri Lanka combining meditation with the study of Buddhist texts and periodically traveled to India where he practiced in intensive retreats with S. N. Goenka. For several years he conducted retreats in India, America, Europe, and Asia in the S. N. Goenka tradition. Since 1995 U Jagara has trained under the guidance of Pa Auk Sayadaw, the Burmese master renowned for his adherence to the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) as both a practical guide to jhana and a detailed exposition of direct analytical approaches to liberating-insight (vipassana). U Jagara assisted Pa Auk Sayadaw in the teaching at the retreats in Barre, MA in 2006 and 2008 and in Germany in 2009.
Co-sponsored by Bodhi-Retreats and Insight Meditation South Bay (imsb.org)
The authors with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, 2008 Forest Refuge Retreat
WQ is excited to report that two successful meditators (whose advice is featured in WQ) have recently signed a book contract with Shambhala Publications, the highly respected publisher of Buddhist and other authors such as the Dalai Lama, Joseph Goldstein, Ajahn Chah, A.H. Almaas, and Ken Wilber!
Book Release
Shambhala will release an expanded version of the book Jhanas Advice, in stores by Fall 2009.
Older (pre-Shambhala) cover
Possible 2009 Retreat The authors are also in conversation with a Buddhist retreat center about the possibility of offering a public retreat in 2009.
2008 Intensive There is still space for the day-long intensive on November 8, 2008, in San Rafael, California. The topic is "From First Sit to First Jhana--Navigating the Process of Purification of Mind through the Use of Wise Effort." Register at http://www.jhanasadvice.com/id6.html. Space is limited, so register early.
Declaring serenity: Jhanamudra (hand signal) as yoga exercise and meditation aid
Come Explore the Meditative Absorptions
A four-week meditation retreat, led by Ven.Dhammadipa
"Ven. Dhammadipa is a highly gifted meditation teacher who has trained in both samatha ("serenity") and vipassana ("insight") meditation under eminent teachers in SriLanka and Burma. He is skilled in teaching both Westerners and Asians"
-- BhikkhuBodhi
This November (1 - 29) 2008, Ven. Dhammadipa will lead a retreat focused on serenity meditation and the development of the Jhana states ("absorptions").
JHANAS?
The Jhanas are meditative attainments. They are also known as "absorptions" and "samadhi." Tehy are held by many to be an essential part of the Buddhist path, vital for sharpening and stilling the mind to provide a foundation for the vipassana (insight) meditation practice leading to liberation.
INSTRUCTOR Born in Czechoslovakia, Ven. Dhammadipa is a world-renown meditation teacher, with a deep understanding of meditation in both Theravada and Mahayana traditions. In 1987, he received traditional Theravada ordination in SriLanka, where he practiced meditation under Ven. NanaramaMahathera. In 1989, he received ordination as a Mahayana monk in HsiLai Temple, Los Angeles. In 1996, he practiced meditation with the meditation master Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw in Myanmar, and is considered by the Sayadaw to be the first of his Western disciples qualified to teach meditation. Over the past ten years, Ven. Dhammadipa has taught meditation at Western and Asian monasteries and universities around the world.
DATES The retreat will start on Saturday morning, November 1, and will end Saturday afternoon, November 29. Participants may join the retreat by arriving any Friday evening, October 31, November 7, 14, or 21, and may stay for one, two, three, or four weeks.
PLACE Chuang Yen Monastery, 2020 Route 301, Carmel, NY 10512
FORMAT Each day of the retreat will include intensive seated samatha meditation practice, walking meditation, yoga, and personal interviews with Ven. Dhammadipa. During the retreat, Ven. Dhammadipa will also give Dharma talks. The Dharma talks will include meditation instruction and teachings on the significance of the Four Elements for profound understanding of meditation. Dharma talks will be given in English, with a summary in Chinese if needed.
PARTICIPANTS Meditators of all ages are invited to attend. Each participant should be able to sit comfortably in meditation for one hour.
COST Because Chuang Yen monastery is run on the basis of donations, it welcomes your donation to help cover its costs for hosting this retreat. However, those with limited financial resources are most welcome, even if they cannot make a donation.
REGISTER Download and complete the registration form on the BAUS website, http://www.baus.org/
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