An attention-grabbing headline, but that is not the reason I choose to take up the subject. With the presidential campaign that is grinding to an agonizing halt, like the slow death of a pet that you cannot bear to put down, it seems necessary to grapple with sexuality. It has been brought front and center, in our face.

I would never have imagined that sex — a very touchy subject, no pun intended — would have become an issue in a presidential campaign, especially driven by the oldest candidate in the thundering herd, the oldest in history, one who is a member of my generation, I am embarrassed to admit. And therefore, one would hope, would no longer be driven by raging hormones, to the point of having no judgment as to what kind of speech and behavior is really appropriate. Been there and done that myself, as I assume many of you have, as well.

But since it has reared its head — whether you consider it ugly or not seems beside the point — let’s examine sex in the context of Zen. For those who have lived as long as I have, sex seems to occupy the center of another endless campaign — one of finding balance between the biological urge to reproduce, and the demands of society, including those imposed by our loved ones. It is not for no reason that the history of Zen has emphasized celibacy on the part of the monastics, but more for purposes of simplicity and harmony in the community, than for the sake of misguided morality, I think.

For Zen does not presuppose a morality that is based on social mores and norms as being the natural way, but one that comes from realization of nonduality, in all matters, including sexuality.
Read more: ZEN & SEX: The Endless Campaign - November 2016

insomniaInsomnia is widely recognized as a significant medical problem, if only because it helps sell pills and therapies. From an article in the New York Times (NYT) by Austin Frakt, The Evidence Points to a Better Way to Fight Insomnia:

When it comes to insomnia, comparative effectiveness studies reveal that sleep medications aren't the best bet for a cure, despite what the commercials say. Several clinical trials have found that they're outperformed by cognitive behavioral therapy.

Note that fighting insomnia is implied in the title, as the only alternative. The need to fight insomnia, however, may be regarded as a cultural, as opposed to a natural, need. If you were living in the jungle, you would need to stay awake, or to sleep, for quite different reasons, and on an entirely different schedule, than you need to do if you have a job with regular hours. A personal pet peeve is the cavalier use of evidence. While it lends an air of credibility, the resort to claiming evidence conjures up the well-known quagmire of claims and counter-claims to be found in other studies. My personal situation vis-a-vis sleep allows me to follow the old Zen maxim, from The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra:

When Po-chang was asked to define [sic] Zen, he said, "When hungry, eat, when tired, sleep." Although this sounds simple and obvious, like so much in Zen, it is in fact quite a difficult task. To regain the naturalness of our original nature requires long training and constitutes a great spiritual [sic] achievement.

Because I no longer have to show up at a given time every business day, or take care of my personal business in my "off" hours, I now enjoy flex-time in terms of my daily sleep routine. (I am writing this at 3:00 in the morning). One of the great luxuries in life is never having to use an alarm clock. Amongst other influences in my developmental years, the sleep-work patterns of Thomas Edison, who took catnaps around the clock, and R. Buckminster Fuller, who flew around the world so frequently that he was in his own time zone, convinced me of the arbitrariness of our society's agreed-upon norm. Further, research on historical sleep patterns, and those in other cultures, reveals that two periods of sleep per night, with an interim waking and socializing period, as well as siestas during the afternoon when it is hot outdoors, may be more natural than one extended snore. Experiments in underground environments, where people typically revert to a 25-hour circadian rhythm, reinforced my suspicion that the medical establishment's standards for healthy sleep are societally skewed.
Read more: INSOMNIA & ZEN - October Dharma Byte

One of our senior Practice Leaders requested that I discuss this duality in relation to Zen. Some of the specifics cited herein are his, as unattributed quotes. Thanks to him, and he knows who he is. In a follow-up email he noted the connection to politics in my last:

I would like to see increased public pressure towards democrats and republicans working together to get something accomplished. Too much competition, not enough cooperation. The thundering silence of both sides, when it comes to publicly acknowledging valid points made by the opposing party, is likely/sadly a better prediction of the future than the actual policies being presented in the platforms. Too much focus on winning and not enough on what will actually be delivered by the "winner." Too much focus on getting the majority in the house and senate rather than merging policies to come up with a vital fusion. Everybody knows a mongrel dog is healthier than a pure bred. I think the same applies to government policies.

Well said and agreed. The "mongrel dog" comment is a dead giveaway for those of us who know him.

It is truly an unfortunate and inconvenient truth that getting elected to office no longer bears the romantic and altruistic connotations that it did when "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" appeared on the big screen. Human nature will out, especially when lavished with 24/7 attention and near-worshipful levels of reverence. Which turns to unrelenting scorn and derision when expectations are not met, like milk curdling. Thus the low esteem in which "the world's greatest deliberative body" is held. And why we in Zen aspire to buddha-nature, not human nature. This unenlightened self-serving is not an exclusive trait of Western politicians, but it does seem to derive from an overemphasis on differences hard-wired into egocentric tribalism, nativism.
Read more: EITHER/OR versus BOTH/AND September DharmaByte

More Articles ...

  1. ZEN AND POLITICS
  2. What is a Father - July Dharma Byte
  3. Do You Mind? It Doesn't Matter
  4. DharmaByte February 2016

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