Essay on Buddhism

The True Man with no rank in Burton Watson’s translation of the Lin-Chi Lu, “The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi is first described in the introductory preface on page 3 as being “constantly at home, yet never ceasing to be on the road.” This could easily be tied back to Buddhist concept of avoiding the antas, or extremes, and finding the middle ground, or Madhya (R) in that the true man is neither on the road nor at home yet he is both. A description of an arhat (R), or an enlightened body, a True Man with no rank is just that, one who falls between the lines, never reaching or meeting the extremes and exemplifying the label of “without rank” in that he is indescribable, without character, a pure essence likened to zero.

“If you can just stop this mind that goes rushing around moment by moment looking for something then you’ll be no different from the patriarchs and buddhas.” That sounds like a solution to the problem Buddhism seeks! But it seems quite a simple way to reach nirvana, usually a long arduous journey must accompany such a reward and it does so this statement, this solution only sounds easy until it is practiced. However, it is in the suggestion that our thoughts are manipulated and fabricated by the perception of the material world translated by our five senses (skandhas!), or what Lin-Chi calls the environment. Every translation, whether literature or sense object, is tweaked so that it is nearly impossible to get the true essence of the original. What all branches of Buddhism provide are ways to see past this translation difference and allow one to operate their senses in a way to respond to the essence, or pure dharma’s of the universe.

Lin-Chi’s tendency to use a method of teaching discipline and teaching his students a lesson or two to his monks when answering a question employs a sort of “mind over matter” strategy that is actually fairly in sync to the moral of the story of the “Ten-Square Foot Hut” in that you take what you have in life and accept whatever unlucky or unfortunate circumstances you don’t see coming. One cannot necessarily prepare for an unforeseen event, however, if received with acceptance and overall grace by mentally refusing to react, it can serve in avoiding the generation of karma, an act better known as asrava (R), by simply not reacting. The shout, if self-prescribed is actually a great physical feeling when applied at the right times. It can be likened to a type of release felt in many systems of the body, from mental to physical stress release and, if thought of positively, is a great tool given to his students by Lin-Chi. The shout, so simple yet so powerful. It is just a sound but the truest essence of noise, understood by any creature with audible sensation.

It is often argued in theology that the “devil” and/or “god” is not actually a physical entity or a someone or something, but closer to an idea or concept or possibly a behavior generated by the activity of an individual or communal mind that is difficult to describe but not as difficult to feel once successfully described. According to Lin-Chi even the enlightened ones, free of all karma and on their way to a perfect non-existence are potential prey to the seed of doubt, or this case Lin-Chi calls it Mara, or the devil. “Learn to put a stop to thoughts and never look for something outside yourselves” (P.41) is a suggested method by the guru. It is a rare moment of encouragement from Lin-Chi to trust in your own essence and strip away the façade, the materialism, and see the true nature of the universe. One cannot see the world without first seeing themselves.

Komo no Chomei and the Ten-Square Foot Hut

If all accounts are true, Komo no Chomei is a man who has been witness to some unbelievably horrifying events in his time. It is no wonder he believed he was staring Armageddon in the face after surviving twisters, mountain-leveling earthquakes followed by machine-gun like aftershocks, drowning floods, and city-sweeping fires. As a follower of Buddhism he believed he was at the “end time” which is known to be the catastrophic moments before the regeneration of everything and time all over again, a cycle known as samsara (R). Religious, spiritual, believer in something or not, it would be easy to a “true nature” if not a less guarded and material essence of others when attempting to survive physically and mentally the horrors of a deadly natural disaster. For example, he saw the true will of parents rationing off their very last portions to their children to aid their survival before wasting away themselves. It is cruel and quite pessimistic but it does enhance the idea that we are all manipulated into comfort by the sensual perceptions of the structured environment around us.

Komo no Chomei’s hut was just big enough for everything. Adorned with caitya (R), otherwise known as Buddhist relics and charms often seen in temples, it is literally a ten-square foot hut which mathematically is probably about a 36”x40” space, about the size of a large moving box! He eventually adds to it by giving it “three foot eaves” to protect against weather and aid in cooking meals. As crazy small and cozy as this hut may have been the most unique thing about his home was that he made it portable. Moving from different lands to mountainous elevations, his hut came with him wherever he felt necessary. Like Lin-Chi’s student monks are well taught through hit and shout technique, Komo no Chomei learned to take unforeseen punishment with no reaction or emotion and found a way to let his life live on without interference or distraction. He lived life as it came and play the cards you’re dealt without every playing. Ultimately the goal was, for him, to avoid generating karma by avoiding activity and prapancha by embracing the quiet still.

In any quest for spiritual sensation and advice of those aiding you to achieve it, there will be verbal and written contradictions that both seem right or wrong for reciprocal reasoning of their own contrasting statements. This is just the case of Komo no Chomei “grasping” of his need for quiet and minimalist-to-the-extreme dwelling. But it can be argued that this is the Buddhist phenomena of shedding the materialist needs and essentially releasing by grasping. Less is more. He creates without creating a still environment, free from the anitya of regeneration. It is one of many steps of his quest to achieve liberation and release from this world. He may still yearn for quiet and calm, “What place can you live, what activities can you pursue, in order to ensure a haven for your body and bring even a moment of peace to your mind?” (P.63). Maybe without realizing it, he has successfully begun to see the true essence of things when he says of his ten year old friend, a little boy, while at age 60, “We’re far apart in age but we seem to enjoy the same things.” He may never admit his successes and may never perceive himself on the path to enlightenment in this lifetime; after all he claims he has been “born unlucky.” But his need of less and less without ever actually needing anything at all is best mirrored by the rhythmic down-sizing of all his houses: from mansion, to house, to hut. And with each progression he regressed and better understood himself. With each chant of Amitabha’s name he grew quieter and closer.

Master Cleanse Diet

So this semester at school I made a conscious commitment to be aware of my all around health and at one point was lifting weights for 2-3 hours at least 5 to 6 days a week for the last 10 weeks, unfortunately I didn't keep a journal or a record of my progress in the gym which is why I am doing this one. I also started eating a little better, cutting out as much red meat as possible and staying away from fast food type stuff as well as overeating. I am very slim and I literally do NOT gain weight past 180 lbs. no matter what I eat. However overeating makes me sluggish and puts me in a shit mood as well as minimalizes my good energy. I took advantage of not having to worry about my weight, physique, or overall appearance my whole life by eating whatever, however, and whenever I wanted but I don't know when that lifeline will be pulled and I start to gain weight and develop into an unhealthy body. I've decided to do the hardest part of transforming into being health conscious as far as diet is concerned and undergo the Master Cleanse. It is a fast and a full body flush that emphasizes the benefits of scraping the walls of your colon and intestines clean, something that can go a LONG way when it comes to long-term health benefits. I will lose weight and I know the first 3-4 days will be difficult and sometimes painful but I am assured that the long-term pros far outweigh the short-term cons; they always do when you commit to sacrifice. It is intended to be for 10 days but my goal is 7 for practicality and stress purposes.I don't think I could have picked a better time frame as it is beautiful weather, a week before finals, two weeks before I start work and move back home. I will not have to exercise as rigorously (no exercise at all for that matter aside from walking and stretching)  Here is a list of some things I intend to keep an eye on during and after the cleanse:

• Eye color (whites of my eyes)
• Hair texture
• Sense of smell (I have almost NO sense of smell)
• Weight - I will lose weight, probably 10-12 lbs, but I will see if it's muscle or "extra", then how I put it back on
• Energy Levels
• Muscle Mass
• Mental Clarity
• Skin Rash (armpits, inside my nose when the weather turns dry)
• Creativity (I'm a design major)
• Drive
• Attitude towards people
• Sex Drive
• Organization
• Sleep

So this afternoon starts Day 1, and although I had an apple turnover today I will be consuming nothing else except the laxative tea and of course the lemonade. I am not looking forward to the sacrifice, but I am looking forward to a healthy, happy summer, a clean body, and the Charlie Sheen sense of WINNING once the task is complete. Once again, my goal is 7 full days of this cleanse and to keep a daily journal of how it goes. I don't think I could have picked a better time frame as it is beautiful weather, a week before finals, two weeks before I start to work. I will not have to exercise as rigorously (no exercise at all for that matter aside from walking and stretching). Good luck, me!

Day One


A full day on the cleanse and nothing much going on. I drank the organic laxative tea last night and I completed the salt water flush which went as most testimonials had described it, except not nearly as long which I'm totally cool with. I slept well although I had some weird, vivid dreams. The skin rashes in my armpits have gone. Although it's not unusual for them to disappear, they did so very quickly once I started drinking the lemonade. I made some progress on one of my projects and I'm getting ready to go my one class today. Aside from being a little hungry, there haven't been any side effects and I'm staying away from physically straining myself at all to worsen this.

Venus of Willendorf v. Aphrodite of Knidos

Sculptures of the past provide us in the modern day a narrative of cultural experience through three dimensional physical representations of certain cultural standards, stories, and visions. A sculpture’s style can tell us what civilization created or who specifically crafted it, the material can tell us from what and where it was made, and each subject, most importantly, can provide for us insight on why it was made. Earliest three dimensional sculptures, like the Venus of Willendorf, date back as far as the beginning of art itself. A progression in materials and knowledge led to the height of sculpture during the Classical period of Greek and Roman antiquity led to such masterpieces as The Laocoon and His Two Sons, and are profound influences on more recent pieces like Donatello’s Equestrian Monument to Erasmo da Narni. For much of recorded and deciphered history, the male figure has been the most respected and prized form to which art and sculpture could be dedicated. Heroes of war were memorialized and leaders of country such as pharaohs and emperors demanded countless monumental statues to be created in their likeness to be regarded eternally. But male figures didn’t account for every piece. Female figures were carved by every culture that had a say in art, beginning as symbols of fertility for the human race and eventually cut into modern standards of beauty. Two figures worthy of further close examination are the ancient piece, the aforementioned Venus of Willendorf (Woman of Willendorf), and from the Classical Period, Praxiteles’ masterpiece, Aphrodite of Knidos.

The two figures have much in common; most obviously they are both female representations and both are quite nude. Many culture’s artists either did not have the talent to carve a complete three dimensional sculpture or were just fond of only frontal and peripheral views as sculptors from the Old Kingdom of Egypt gave us the slate statue of Menkhaure and Khamerenbty, a sculpture whose physical back is solely a flat rock surface. Our two pieces under study, in contrast, are fully three dimensional, sculptures in the round, meant to be admired equally from any angle in which a viewer pleases: Front, back, side, looking down on it, or any other angle. Each piece has a carefully crafted head of hair (or possibly headdress in the case of the Venus of Willendorf) probably to the latest style of their respective culture. They have both endured the wrath of nature and the clumsiness of mankind to last for thousands of years to come out as priceless symbols of history and art. The most meaningful characteristic of each work of art lies not in their physical description but behind the purpose of the work, the influence that sparked the first cut of each piece. In order to accomplish that, each sculpture deserves to be studied for its unique properties.

The Venus of Willendorf (Venus), was discovered in 1908 during an excavation near the city of Krems in Austria. It is estimated to have been carved out of oolitic limestone during the Paleolithic Period somewhere between24,000-22,000 BC. Very little is known about the history of the sculpture. It is unknown what culture created it, nevermind its individual artist. It is arguable whether she represents a goddess, served as a symbolic ideal for what was desired in a woman at the time, or was an actual portrait of a woman. The lack of facial features drives the argument that she was solely a symbol of sexual fertility; it was not her face, but her body that was important. This is a feature of all Paleolithic “Venus” figurines. Standing no more than 4.5” tall the robust woman probably served more as a token for one to carry and is best described by Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe:

The sculpture shows a woman with a large stomach that overhangs but does not hide her pubic area. A roll of fat extends around her middle, joining with large but rather flat buttocks… Her thighs are also large and pressed together down to the knees. Her forearms, however, are thin, and are shown draped over and holding, with cursorily indicated fingers, the upper part of her large breasts. Small markings on her wrists seem to indicate the presence of bracelets. Her breasts are full and appear soft, but they are not sagging and pendulous. The nipples are not indicated.Her genital area would appear to have been deliberately emphasized with the labia of the vulva carefully detailed and made clearly visible, perhaps unnaturally so, and as if she 
had no pubic hair.

Now conscious of the likelihood of prehistoric Homo sapiens not having the adequate, consistent caloric intake to become so large and endowed with fat, the Venus’ proportions are exaggerated but remain a remarkably realistic representation of a very large woman.

            Praxiteles was the most important sculptor of his time during the Classical Period of Greek history, an era of remarkable accomplishments in art. At a time when men’s bodies and minds were the regarded as the epitome of strength and beauty, women were looked down upon as being simply a necessity in order to conceive life to (hopefully) more males. They were considered solely as vessels to hold children, often equated with other forms of vessels like a vase or a tub to hold water. Men were the Olympians, the soldiers, the crafters, and the geniuses who created and became the highest standard of attraction. A shift in this belief can be traced back to a single piece of art, Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos. Originally casted in bronze around 350 BC, what we have today is a composite of two copies made of marble by the Romans. It is fully deserving of the description of “ekphrasis” which is a Greek term that means a “description of a work of visual art, often saying that the work is so masterful that it truly seems alive.” Aphrodite, born of the sea of Paphos, was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. Created so lifelike and sexually stimulating there is a story of a young man who secreted himself in attempt to fornicate with the statue after sneaking in to the basement where the piece was being stored. The statue is roughly that of human proportion standing about 5’6”. Unlike the Venus sculpture, Aphrodite’s face is fully considered and stands on two feet in a cantropasto pose, her weight shifted onto her right foot, and is reaching for a towel after her ritual bath that restores her purity. What brings to life and encapsulates the viewer’s attention is the state of mind of the figure. She seems to have been caught by an intruder during her private moment and is picking up her towel to cover herself with her left hand while gently covering her privates with her right hand. Her face is caught in a mild state of alarm while somehow being quietly amused at the same time. This pose and these features lead the viewer to believe that he or she is the intruder themselves. This monumental piece of artwork was the first Greek piece of art to fully exploit the female body and arise it to a standard of beauty from the previous place of “vessel.” After more and more artists viewed the sculpture over time their pieces gradually focused on the female body as the desired object of sexuality. Originally made as a cult image for a seaside shrine to the Goddess Aphrodite, it was rejected by many city-states of ancient Greece for it being too risqué and dangerously indecent to the public until it was finally commissioned by the city of Kos where it was heralded as a masterpiece.

            After reviewing two ancient, popular pieces of sculpture of the ancient worlds there is a little insight on the beliefs and position on women and sexuality of each culture. The Venus of Willendorf provokes a curious nerve that leads us to explore more of the Paleolithic ideas and standards of women despite it not representing popular women’s standard of beauty today. Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos marks a shift in the global standard of beauty from the male body to the female body. It is also apparent the care and attention each sculptor paid to each piece by simply looking at the physical features of each woman from the hair, to the midsection, down to the feet, or in the Venus’ case lack of feet. The three dimensionality of both works of art allows the viewer to admire it from any angle and their proportions and liveliness are timeless to any culture lucky enough to appreciate and interpret for themselves their true meaning and influence.

Sources

Reeder, Ellen D., Pandora: Women in Classical Greece Wallers Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD (1995)

Hersey, George L., Falling in Love with Statues: Artificial Humans from Pygmalian to the Present University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London (2009)

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org

Witcombe L.C.E., Christopher Women in Pre History: The Woman of Willendorf, http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfwoman.html