Being raised in a modern household is hardly an advantage for a proper understanding of Buddhism. I was lucky, I grew up in a family in which my father’s best friend was a Mexican shaman. His name was Jesse and he was the real thing. He worked as a grounds keeper at the University of the Pacific in California. Students who were stressed out would often go to him. He would take their pain away just by talking to them. Within a few seconds, they became very peaceful often just standing in front of Jesse with their eyes closed.
Being a shaman wasn’t all that good for Jesse. He was often torn between his duty to mow lawns or help students who came to him. It eventually cost him his job because more and more of the students at the university followed him around, seeking his help. This didn’t set well with administration. The last time I saw him, there was no less than a dozen students sitting on the grass, swaying back and forth in bliss, in front of Jesse. As I passed behind the students, Jesse and I both smiled at each other. That was the last time I saw Jesse. It was my friend John who later informed me that Jesse had been fired. This was over forty years ago.
The word ‘spirit’ was a word commonly used in my family. I would often see my father and Jesse quietly sitting together in the kitchen during the 1950s, when I was going to elementary school. Several times I was asked to come into the kitchen. Jesse would just look at me, then I was asked to leave.
When I decided to become a Zen priest, I already understood that a spiritual transformation was supposed to happen. I never doubted it because I understood, even as a small boy, that our spiritual being is the most important thing in the world. I also understood that if I were to master Buddhism I would be called to do so by powerful spiritual omens. This was later confirmed when I saw the Lankavatara Sutra glowing with a strange light much like aurora borealis only smaller. I kept rubbing my eyes. I thought there was something wrong with them. It didn’t help. So I decided to look at this phenomenon from different angles of the room. But the light continued to radiate from the book on my desk. I knew then I was to make this Sutra my study. I could hardly understand a word of this profound Sutra. But I grew to have more and more faith in its words which were affirmed every time I came to a profound realization during my many meditations.
In a way, one has to have the heart of a shaman to fully understand Buddhism. To be sure, one has to renounce Western nihilism which is centered on materialism and the accumulation of wealth. Yes, the spiritual world is real. Anyone who says it is not can never really know Buddhism.
Fascinating account...
Thanks for the share!
Posted by: MStrinado | June 27, 2012 at 10:37 AM