While the Western World is accustomed to coming at a situation with a list of rules under their arm, the Buddhist view could be seen as approaching a situation from the other side. Intrinsically, Buddhist views would preclude the list of activities that are either good or bad. Rather, the question remains, does the activity stand in the way of the enlightenment of the person who is performing the activity.

Sex in general, if used for unhealthy purposes, will be harmful. This is in the same manner that anything, in the wrong hands, can be harmful. Probably ultimately, upon full enlightenment, the individual may have no interest in sex. Conversely, upon enlightenment, the person will experience nothing but one huge orgasm. Who knows?

The good news is that the melding into the Oneness that occurs with enlightenment, is the ultimate bliss. What this means, one doesn’t know.

But millions of people who have chosen the path of the Buddha, have glimpsed shadows of the possibility, have found enough peace to continue the journey. The view of the Buddhist of homosexuality probably is less about right or wrong, than the use of the practice. This would be the same as the view of any activity of sexuality; or business pursuit; or interaction with a colleague; or use of the environment.

Most people, unless a Bodhisattva, are in this physical world to learn the lessons to allow for enlightenment. The very act of issuing an edict concerning someone elses actions may uncover one’s own misunderstanding.

If one is hoping for the enlightenment that may offer the eternal orgasm, one would think long and hard before judging the personal actions of another. And as one is up in arms over the gay or lesbian sexual behavior of another, we may be overlooking the murderous heterosexual rapist.

It is a complicated physical existence we are enmeshed in.

Consumerism is deeply enmeshed in the psyche of most Americans. Not only are we rewarded for spending money, we are cajoled and encouraged to do so. The advertising industry, itself a hugely profitable business, is paid to inform people that what they have, is not enough.

In fact, what each person has is indeed enough. Sin is not a Buddhist concept in the manner as understood by Westerners. Sin, as implied by Buddhism, is that which stands between an individual and the melding into the Oneness that will convey bliss. Greed can be seen as a sin, because this emotion will strengthen the feelings of division within the individual.

The emotion will strengthen a perception of lacking on an individual basis. In truth, this does not exist. Neither is poverty a virtue. Poverty will as surely set up the illusion of lack, when in reality it may only be the universal cry of “I want”, of the childish mind.

Consumerism is an artificial system that has been created for the manipulation of the many for the few. Currently, as consumers live in their cluttered homes with limited spaciousness and enormous debt, the silliness of consumerism is an easy argument. Ten years ago, at the height of the consumer-mentality, the person suggesting moderation would have not been taken so seriously.

This unfolding of fortunes is the materialization of the abstract concept of letting go in order to uncover more. The more we try to hold on to, the farther we move from our true nature and the Oneness that is bliss.

The individual who understands the value of peace, contentment, and intrinsic value of oneself, can be the recipient of spaciousness both physical and emotional. The need to buy material products to prove one’s worth is irrelevant.

Lack of material possessions, after the requisite food, shelter, and clothing, leaves enormous room for delving into bountiful nature, peaceful sleep, enjoyable contemplation and activities with friends and family.

And the lack of debt needs no discussion.

The idea of the smallest being as the enormity of Creation will put into words the concept of sex as seen within the Buddhist tradition. Just as the brocolli floweret is the same as the whole, and each tiny portion of the floweret is like the brocolli floweret, is the Creation as compared to the Creator.

And, since Creation exists, the act of Creation is the nature of each little creature. This is accomplished according to the nature of the creature. Since humans are held to be in a move advanced level on the path to full enlightenment, humans ideally will accept their role in sex in a more thoughtful and sacred manner than, say, a worm.

However, sex is indeed in the nature of humans, as it is in the nature of everything, including plants and animals. As far as we know, it may include rocks and rain. In a world where the bumble bee can see colors that humans are impervious to and dogs hear sounds that go unnoticed by people, there may indeed be something going on that we are missing.

Sex, is therefore, an enjoyable and honorable part of human nature. When treated with the sacred respect with which one may best view his or her life, it is as nourishing as any other food. In particular, if one considers that the act of Creation has produced everyone and everything, the act of sex can be seen as a recreation of the act of Creation by our Creator.

This will suggest that when a man and woman, with similar understanding, are united in the symbol of Creation called marriage, the act of sex can be physically dynamic and spiritually compelling.

If one has chosen to follow the path of Buddhism to work toward enlightenment, the sex act can be a suggestion of the ultimate joining with the Oneness.

The message of Buddhism is of the interdependence and cause and effect of everything. One can see that this concept could be the perfect guide for a happy marriage. The couple who desires a healthful marriage knows that it isn’t about the man and it isn’t about the woman, it’s about the marriage.

The husband and wife who, rather than requiring what each needs, have agreed to work on what is beneficial to the marriage, may have an opportunity to make each happy and content.

In a world where individual rights are written into our US Constitution, the idea of give and take may take a back-seat to cooperation.

The advantage of two committed people working together for a common end is invaluable. The couple can decide who is the most effective money-earner, and divide the obligations accordingly. Or the couple can agree that both husband and wife should contribute monetarily, and to equally divide the remainder of the obligations.

When the welfare of the other is important and acted upon, the sexual life can be greatly enhanced. The gift of sexuality is seen as natural and beneficial when used with honorable and open intentions. When the healthy sexual life between 2 loving people is added to the mix of happiness within a cared-for marriage, self-realization for the husband and wife is possible.

The Western culture, with the focus on advertising of product and personality, has helped to cheapen the institution of marriage. People may enter into the partnership with a half-expectation of a circus atmosphere. One-upsmanship may seem normal. Husbands may be seen as ineffectual bumblers and wives may be pictured as self-centered tyrants; or vica versa.

The choice for the description of marriage rests with each couple. Making one’s decisions based on values rather than reaction is only an extension of the process of the person who is working toward enlightenment using the path of the Buddha.

Many marriages are as internally competitive as the culture within which we live. A different approach could provide a surprisingly pleasant result.

The future of Buddhism can be viewed as the future of physics. If indeed it is the truth, Buddhism will be what it will be. Cause and effect will be at play, funneling Creation in the only direction possible.

Proselytizing is uncomfortable in the Buddhist tradition, and not advocated for. The reason is that, again, when an individual stops working on their own enlightenment to instruct another, he or she has, in that act, interferred with the greater Power of Creation.

Just as in physics, theories abound of global warming and the influence that humans have on our atmosphere, in reality this is a local situation. The self-absorbed concern for oneself of the human being, suggests that we will change the character of the Earth by our misuse of the environment.

This will, ultimately, not mean a thing to the Universe, planets, or the Earth itself. For the same reason, the fact that humans so cavalierly play with environment, is witness to our lack of understanding of the enormity of the Power of Creation and our association to it.

It is usually the unforeseen circumstances that tell the tale of the future. For example, Buddhism developed in the isolation of the Himalyas. In this remote area, the focus could be placed on the inner world, without the distractions that the rest of the planet was bombarded.

The Buddhist tradition came to become a remarkably researched and guarded phylosophy. It was protected against outside intrusion. When Tibet was invaded by China and the Buddhist monks fled their country, they took their learning with them. The result has been that the world received these teachings.

The invasion that was intended to quell the tradition that was offensive to the Chinese, instead resulted in the spread of Buddhism through the world. This is an example of the cause and effect that is life in the physical. No one knows what the result of their actions will be. We can try our hardest for one result, and end up with another.

In Buddhism, one is extolled to leave the tradition if it does not suit one. As in physics, the investigation, scientific discoveries and education of the scientists, will not influence the subject. Both Buddhism and physics are bigger than humans; and we are immersed in both.

And this is the truth that will allow humans who follow the Buddhist tradition, to find their personal place in the vastness. This is the reason it is advisable to work on one’s “own little acre of Paradise”, as it were.

The future of Buddhism will unfold as it will. It will need no formal program or plan as layed out by its followers. We are instead free to put the effort into ourselves.

You may choose to call yourself a Buddhist if you follow the path of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who was born into a royal family in 563 B. C. in the area that is now called Nepal. Early in his life, he realized his royal birth and extravagant wealth offered no more protection against sickness, death, and pain than the lowliest beggar received from his unenviable position in life.

The Buddha nature is not assumed or created by an individual, it is uncovered and realized. Everything and everybody has Buddha nature. Realization of this Buddha nature sets one upon the path toward what one may call enlightenment.

This is the realization of the validity of everything that is, and the illusory nature thereof. Rather than viewing the world in terms of good and bad, one begins to understand that the world cannot be without the dichotomy of what would be called the yin and yang, the dark and light; the material world that would not exist without the opposites.

Most people will attempt to ward off what they perceive to be the bad, or the dark, or the yin. In reality, it is the dance between the opposites that is life. Good would not exist without bad. Light would not exist without dark. Yang would not exist without Yin.

When a person understands this, they can begin to live their life in a manner to honor and accept the opposites, and to know that their existence in the material world would be impossible without the opposites. When a person transcends the yin and the yang, they can move on to pure enlightenment, which is nothing more than the ability to incorporate the opposites into their experience without discrimination, and cannot be accomplished within this material existence.

The person may choose to label oneself a Buddhist. The enormity, all-inclusiveness, and inter-dependence of everything and everyone may present a different perspective. When the significance of this realization is absorbed, the need or wish to label has become irrelevant.

Prosaically, a person who follows the path as described by Siddhartha Gautama can be called a Buddhist. The internalization of this realization is something much more awesome.

If one has decided to follow the path of the Buddha, enlightenment is the goal. Enlightenment will remove the pain of living within the cause and effect world of this physical world.

Most of us understand the frustration of the idea that the harder we try, the more ellusive the result. This is the abstract effect of the picture of the world in terms of right and wrong. In truth, the Buddha nature implies that everything is as it should be, and the imperfection we perceive is more in our own mind than in reality.

Enlightenment is the state of letting go of one’s own ideas sufficiently to see the reality of what is. If we believe we hold the future in our hands, we are quite caught up in the process of cause and effect. We may have heard the old adage, “The path to hell is paved with good intentions”. This implies an understanding of the process of cause and effect.

In truth, the presence in this physical world suggests that enlightenment has not as yet occurred. When one has absorbed the truth of the Buddha nature and all-inclusive state of everything, one will no longer live in the physical world. One will have desolved into the Pure Light of Oneness.

This can be a disturbing concept to anyone who is still separated by dualism, from the Oneness. The ubiquitous cry of “I want”, is well-known to everyone and a difficult emotion to release. And this, comically, is the emotion that separates us from Oneness.

Possibly this is the reason for the little smile on the face of the famous statues of the Buddha, with his bald head and little pot belly. We already have it all. If we can let go of our comical demands, we will experience Enlightenment.

In truth, not everyone in the material world lacks Enlightenment. A Boddhisatva is a person who has gained enlightenment and has moved into the Oneness as a result. Some of these Enlightened Beings, in their compassion for the rest of us, choose to come back from the Oneness into our physical world of opposites, to help others find their way.

This would imply people such as Jesus, perhaps Ghandi, or maybe Mother Theresa. They don’t need to be famous, and we may be living next door to a Boddhisatva. The person who is gaining awards for good works, is probably not a Boddhisatva. The intention of the Boddhisatva would not be personal fame.

A wonderful little Chihuahua named Kuan Yin was most possibly a Boddhisatva. Her selfless and universal love and acceptance was inspirational. This didn’t mean she wouldn’t give a little nip to another when needed.

Dr. Akong Rinpoche founded ROPKA back in the 1990s in response to the poor conditions of the masses in both Tibet and Nepal as well as across Europe. Dr. Rinpoche (born in 1939) was discovered by a search party seeking the first Akong who had been the Abbott of the Dolma Lhakang monastery in Kham. The search party had been given precise instructions as to where to find the boy by the 16th Gyalma Karmapa. Gyarma Karmapa is the title of the top leader of the Kamstang tradition in Buddhism.

By the time he was four young Akong Rinpoche was taken to the monastery to receive a formal education and training to become the new Abbot upon completion of his studies. He was also taught all of the traditional Tibetan medical knowledge at the time. In 1959 at the age of twenty Rinpoche fled Tibet after the Chinese takeover and the resulting purge of traditional Tibetan religious orders. Of the three hundred in his party that fled for India only thirteen arrived. There are many anecdotal tales of the hardships of the journey including eating soup made from boiled shoe leather to stay alive.

He was sponsored by Mrs. Freda Bedi to come to Oxford to learn English in 1963. He spent the next twenty five years introducing the Western World to ancient Tibetan traditions and medicinal treatments. He established the Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Centre in Scotland and made it a place of solitude and reflection for people of all faiths. Since the establishment of this place of meditation and solitude Dr. Rinpoche has worked to create soup kitchens for the hungry in major cities across Europe and now into both Tibet (mostly the eastern portion) and Nepal. He has brought over 100 projects to completion including schools, medical facilities and the soup kitchens.

Buddha himself told a man from another religion that had come to try to convert Buddha, “Make a proper investigation first. Proper investigation is good for a well known person like yourself.” If you have any interest you will need to research how to become a Buddhist. In learning how to become a Buddhist you will find that there are several steps to become a Buddhist.

In Buddhism all of the teachings are based on ultimate understanding. Complete understanding takes time. You must take the Three Refuges. You must take refuge in Buddha, Dhamma (Buddha’s teachings) and the Sangha (community of enlightened beings). Once you have taken the Three Refuges you must completely understand the Four Noble Truths. Taking refuge is best done with the guidance of a priest of Buddha. If you can not find a suitable priest you should take refuge in front of an image of Buddha. The placement of the image is very important. It needs to be placed so that when you kneel for reflection it is at the level of your head or higher. Kneel in front of the image and place your palms together at your chest. Bow three times to the image so that your palms and forehead touch the floor.

As a Buddhist you are to keep the Five Precepts close to heart at all times. Do not take anything that is not freely given, abstain from sexual misconduct, do not destroy any living creatures, do not make false speech and abstain from taking any kind of intoxicants (drugs, alcohol, etc.) that can lead to carelessness.

There is a great deal more to learning all about how to become a Buddhist than some ritual gestures and reciting a mantra. You must truly believe in the teachings of Buddha and incorporate them into your daily life. With out this dedication you will never become a transcendent being and enter the state of enlightenment.

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, is an excellent book for any American who drives. With road rage increasing and tensions rising in homes across America due to the financial mess due to falling retail sales and mass layoffs the ten verses in Anger should be required reading for all adults and most teenagers.

Although Hanh is a Buddhist monk the book is not all about the whole meditate until you are healed self help pap served up by many holistic and alternative practitioners. Hanh does have his moments that are rather ho hum. (If you are mad at someone go tell them, don’t let it fester and get worse. But remember to keep your temper when conversing). The main tenet in the book is that when we get angry we are really angry with ourselves not the person we perceive ourselves to be angry with.

He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967 for his efforts to end the hostilities in Vietnam through non violent civil disobedience and the traditional meditation techniques of Buddhism. He was exiled and now lives in France and has written over seventy five books of varying themes including poetry, prayer and prose. His writings are not overly Buddhist in flavor but appeal to a worldwide audience of all faiths.

In Anger, Thich Nhat Hanh offers ten verses to help you curb your anger. All of them are great examples of how we should treat anger in our every day lives. One deals with understanding the nature of your anger. Once you understand the source of your anger you can embrace it and actually deal with it so that it no longer angers you. Another is to remember that although you may be angry always remember you have love within you.