The Lotus Still Blooms

by Joan Gattuso

  “Oh . . . nothing that I could actually describe to you, Mom,” I replied weakly.

  Concern rose in her voice. “What do you mean you can’t describe it to me? What’s happening?”

  “Mom,” I stammered. I tried to calm myself. “It is just so bizarre. It’s frightening and confusing. It’s just bizarre! It’s surreal!”

  “Joan,” she replied firmly, “I do not like the words you are using.” Then with sincere concern she asked, “Are they brainwashing you?”

  I paused for several long moments before I answered. “Yes, that’s it. They are brainwashing me—not in the World War Two or Vietnam tiger cage sense—but it is brainwashing nevertheless.” The realization had struck me that every single thought, belief, idea, perception, concept rising out of me was being scrutinized . . . by me. As each one arose, I would be forced to ask: Is it factual? Is it helpful? Is it meaningful? Is it valuable? Is it beneficial? Is it true? If the answer was “no” to any of the questions, I was encouraged to let them go. So, yes, I was being brainwashed, but in a most spiritually sound manner. The experience was like my gray matter daily being removed from my skull and purified by crystal clear water, washing away all my false concepts, cherished beliefs and erroneous notions.

  So, yes, Mom. I was being brainwashed in order to discover that there was another shore, then later, after many years of a devoted and intensive spiritual practice, to be able to catch that mystical ferry to the other shore.

  Asked what he taught, the Buddha responded, “What do I teach? Whatever is fascinating to discuss, divides people against each other, but has no bearing on putting an end to sorrow. What do I teach? Only what is necessary to take you to the other shore.” Oh my God, I love that!

  What is life like on the other shore? The seemingly evasive answer is that one has to experience it oneself to know. And that is true. But generally it is leaving separation behind to experience oneness with all. It is releasing in harmony to know peace. It is knowing serenity, contentment, caring and generosity. It is the wonder of having exactly what you need when you need it without struggle. It is giving up effort and instead allowing the Universe to support you. It is what Jesus taught about living in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven can be likened to the Other Shore. It is the Other Shore.

  Few believe this is possible, few answer the call, but to those few who do the hitherto unimaginable becomes real. How? By living each aspect as taught in the Eight-fold Path. By practicing compassion, generosity, loving kindness. By substituting yourself for others. By faithful daily spiritual practices. By cleansing the scales from your eyes and seeing the beauty that surrounds you. By opening yourself to boundless happiness. It also means giving up the drama and struggle and removing yourself from unhealthy and unwholesome situations and people. Ultimately it means to conquer the whole field of mind to become a Buddha or Christ.

  From the Dhammapada: “Keeping company with the immature is like going on a long journey with an enemy. Therefore, live among the wise, who are understanding, patient, responsible and noble. Keep their company like the men moving among the stars.”

  The wise live on the other shore. The foolish ones are unaware of the possibility of more. It is true that those living on the original shore can be very annoying in their endeavors to keep the seeker from catching that ferry, as they continue to pretend the illusion is real. The one who catches the ferry is a threat to the ones who would rather stay in their misery. Says Robert Thurman, “Western society is intolerant of people being happy.” You know the old cliché “Misery loves company.” The miserable ones do not want you to leave them and cross to the other shore.

  Someone else’s opinion or belief is never a reason to stay on the original shore. In fact, there is no reason to stay. You must answer your call, do your work, catch your ferry, and live in the possibility of boundless happiness on the other shore to become a Buddha. Choose your Buddha nature over what the throngs are doing and how they are living. Always choose Buddhahood.

  Time and space will continue to exist, but the enlightened being knows it’s not real to him, although it is still real to other people.

  Take all this material and spiritual information, digest it, make it your own. Allow it through practice to become your living truth, your soul’s knowing, so that you may know that the great and vast truths of Buddhismare as important and relevant today as when the Buddha walked the earth. May we all know that the lotus of eternal truth still is rising out of the mind stuck in the mud of the world of samsara. See in your mind’s eye the lotus rising through the illusion. And the lotus still blooms.

  May you be filled with loving kindness.

  May you be well.

  May you be peaceful and at ease.

  May you be happy.

  And may you cross to the Other Shore.

  Glossary of Terms

  Affirmation: A short, positive prayer statement declaring as already accomplished a desired good.

  Ascetics: The early companions of the historical Buddha who believed an austere life would lead to enlightenment.

  Asleep: The mental state of most people while living in samsara.

  Bardo: The state we enter immediately upon death. It is an in-between state, where Buddhists believe most remain for forty-nine days.

  Beginner’s Mind: Young practitioner uncluttered with many concepts.

  Bodhichitta: The energy of compassion, grace, love and goodness combined. The supreme medicine.

  Brahma: God of the faith practiced by people at the time of the Buddha.

  Buddha: The first enlightened being who reached the pinnacle of perfection and evolution. The term generally refers to the historical Buddha of 2,600 years ago.

  Chakras: One of seven primary energy centers found in the body, running from the root to the crown of the head.

  Clear Light: A term translated from the Sanskrit that means the subtlest light that illumines one’s reality or the entire universe. It is different from the light of celestial bodies. It is transparent rather than bright.

  Consciousness: The sum total of all thoughts, feelings and emotions.

  A Course in Miracles: A twentieth-century spiritual text offering a systematic method for awakening.

  Dakinis: Holy, enlightened women of the celestial realms. They move about in the space of absolute reality.

  Darshan: A group sitting in meditation.

  Deer Park Sermon: Location of the historical Buddha’s first teaching in which he taught the Four Noble Truths.

  Dhammapada: A sacred collection of the sayings and teachings of the historical Buddha.

  Dharma: The entire body of Buddhist teachings. The reality of truth.

  Diamond Sutra: The earliest teaching on how to respect all forms of life. The Diamond Sutra reminds us of the great teaching: “Where there is perception, there is deception.”

  Eight-fold Path: The fullness of the Four Noble Truths. A formula for spiritual awakening. All eight are equally important.

  Eknath Eswaran: A gifted teacher of mysticism who came to the United States in 1959 as a Fulbright scholar. All of his writings are highly recommended.

  Enlightenment: An instantaneous experience of total awakening from the world of samsara. Sleeping levels of consciousness enter full awakening upon reaching enlightenment.

  The Five Aggregates: Containing everything found in nature, in the world at large, and inside and outside of us, the Five Aggregates are form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness.

  The Four Factors: The very nature of an enlightened person. They constitute a general spiritual practice. See The Four Immeasurables.

  The Four Immeasurables: So called because the vastness of their splendor cannot be measured, they are love, compassion, joy, equanimity. Also called The Four Factors.

  The Four Noble Truths: The first teaching of Buddha, which set the wheel of dharma in motion. See page 12.

  The Golden Key: A creative thought offered by Emmet Fox in which o
ne thinks about God rather than one’s own problems.

  Happiness: What all sentient beings desire.

  Heart Sutra: The teaching of absolute truth in which there is no birth and no death. It is not in contradiction to earlier relative truths. It simply comes from a deeper level of understanding. The Heart Sutra is exquisitely chanted by a sangha of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns.

  Hungry Ghost: An inhabitant of the so-called hell realms. One who can never be satisfied.

  Illusion: The which appears real, but in actuality does not have any enduring reality.

  Impermanence: The Buddhist view that nothing in this world is permanent.

  Karma: The eternal cyclical law of life. Similar to but not the same as cause and effect.

  Lama: A highly trained spiritual teacher.

  Mantra: A sound or chant used to save the mind from distractions. Mantra literally means “saving the mind.”

  Medicine Buddha: The manifestation of the healing energy of all enlightened beings. It can also be called “Spiritual Medicine.”

  Meditation: Various methods to still the mind and ultimately reach one-pointed awareness.

  Metaphysics: A deeper view of all of life that embraces more than just the physical.

  Middle Way: A middle or balanced approach to life taught by the Buddha. Not too rigid, not too slack. Sometimes called “Middle Path.”

  Nirvana: The permanent rising out of all lower states of consciousness or samsara. To dwell constantly in this elevated mind, one’s nature is merged into Buddha nature.

  Noble Being: One who cares and values others as much as oneself.

  Non-Self: The Second Dharma Seal, a challenging concept for the Western mind. It is not quite “oneness.” It is not a philosophy, it is an insight.

  Om, Madna, Padna, Hum: The most popular mantra (or prayer) that erases and purifies negative emotions and suffering.

  Perception: What we individually perceive as the truth, which may not be. Our perceptions may be true or false, and often lead to deception.

  Ram Dass: A noted spiritual teacher who, as a young Harvard professor, traveled to India, found his guru and transformed his life. In the ensuing decades he has assisted millions through his clear, direct teachings. His book Be Here Now is a spiritual classic.

  Refuge: A place of solace for spirit, soul and body. Refuge can be found in the Three Jewels.

  Right Action: Having every action be in accord with inner essence. Conscious action.

  Right Concentration: Cultivating a mind that is single-pointed.

  Right Effort: Using your energy in only life-affirming ways.

  Right Livelihood: Having one’s career in alignment with spiritual essence.

  Right Mindfulness: Living in an awake, aware, conscious state.

  Right Speech: Speaking only words that are true, beneficial and in accord with inner essence.

  Right Thought: Recognizing and experiencing our true thoughts. Thinking in alignment with the greatest truths.

  Right Vew: Perceiving all of life clearing and as it truly is. Looking deeply.

  Rinpoche: A highly educated lama who has passed many tests after years of study. The designation can be likened to that of Ph.D.

  Samsara: The myriad complexities of life with all of life’s lures and illusions. The endless cycle of birth, life and death and being stuck in that cycle.

  Sangha: A community of spiritually minded people, often ordained clery, that studies and practices the Dharma.

  Seeds: Thoughts held in the mind.

  Shantideva: The eighth-century Buddhist master of compassion. His prayer:

  For as long as space exists

  And sentient beings endure,

  May I too remain,

  To dispel the misery of the world.

  His classic, A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way, has instructed for 1,300 years.

  The Six Perfections: Six goals, ranging from generosity to wisdom, that enable one to cross over to the other shore of liberation, freedom and peace.

  Store Consciousness: The information that fills the subconscious mind.

  Sutras: Ancient sacred verses, which are most often chanted.

  Tara: Several incarnations of the divine feminine found in Buddhism. The name “Tara” means “she who liberates.” One of myriad awakened beings who love and care for others.

  Thich Nhat Hanh: A Zen Buddhist monk from Vietnam who now resides in the Dordogne region of France. He is regarded as a profound and perceptive teacher of Buddhism, and is the author of more than forty books.

  The Three Dharma Seals: Impermanence, nonself, and nirvana. These three need to be present in any teaching in order for it to be considered true. Understanding that impermanence and nonself, teachings on time and space, lead to nirvana, liberation.

  Three Filters of Consciousness: Emptiness, signlessness, aimlessness. They liberate us from fear, confusion, and sadness. Also called “Three Doors of Liberation.”

  The Three Jewels: Buddha, dharma and sangha. Here we take refuge. These three are a fundamental practice of Buddhism.

  Tonglin: Tibetan for giving and receiving. An eleventh-century meditation practice.

  Truth: That which never changes, which is eternally the highest spiritual teaching.

  Tulku: A child emanation that is pure and noble; recognized by adult lamas as being the return of a previous enlightened one.

  Wheel of Dharma: A teaching by the Buddha in the Deer Park Sermon, setting the wheel in motion.

  About the Author

  Best-selling author Joan Gattuso brings deep, personal insight to all her writing. Her in-depth studies with His Holiness the Dalai Lama have given her the necessary background for her unique look at Tibetan Buddhism. A dynamic speaker and the author of A Course in Love and A Course in Life, both of which have been translated into several languages, she is also a Unity minister in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Gattuso, whose spiritual path has taken her around the world to study with renowned spiritual leaders, lives in Ohio with her husband, David Alexander, and her two dogs.