I’ve been teaching meditation at the NHC Institute in Montreal (aka the birthplace of William Shatner – how rad is that!!!) I really enjoy teaching and hope that it is somewhat enjoyable and painless for the few brave souls willing to listen to me drone on about breathing. When I first taught the class, I was soooo prepared. I had a fistful of notes, citations and was ready for anything. This time around, I’m a bit looser and more fluid (attributed fully to the fact that I am running from work to class and completely a frantic stressball). As much as the folks in the class say that they are helped by learning how to sit still, I am immensely grateful at the chance to share this with them and to have some moments of calm myself.

Back to the NHC and to busyness… I will be delivering a presentation on meditation as part of an open house that they are holding on November 27th so if you are in Montreal and up for it, please do stop in. The session will be from 3:15-3:45pm and closes out a full day of lectures. Other topics include “The Wonder of Weeds – The healing properties of herbs”, “Beyond the Surface- Exploring the depth of beauty” and “Using Food to build a strong immune system”

Ironically, I am using the Presentation Zen technique to prepare myself for this talk. How meta! Do check out this post on the author, Garr Reynold’s blog on “Lessons from the world of Aikido” as it is a must read in dealing with hecklers. (not that I’m anticipating any trash-talkin’ thugs to show up at a holistic health centre to start pushing me around…)

I’m currently listening to the latest from The Sainte Catherines, a local band that I enjoy very much. Here they are playing the Fest… Excuse the cruddy sound…

What else… What else. I got to hang out with the fabulous Brad Warner a few times during the Montreal leg of his tour. While he was here I got to see him speak at Casa del Popolo (which featured an impromptu backing band who were practicing in the flat next door). We checked out a benefit for the upcoming Montreal Zen Poetry Festival to be held in March 2011 and he was monkhandled by my two rambunctious pugs.

That is all for now…. I need to rush myself back to work. Friday ahhhh you feel soooo goooood!

A few weeks ago I went to the Montreal Nalandabodhi Centre for a showing of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s video “Heart to Heart”- a talk he gave to the LGBT community of the New York Shambhala Centre. I’ll post some notes I had taken from the talk in another post, but first wanted to recount a little story.

Our little group watched the video then settled in to lunch a bit. Our discussion turned to sex and I mentioned that I just read Brad Warner’s book and was found it inspiring that someone in the community had enough cojones to write about rarely discussed topics such as abortion, polyamory and pornography.

Crickets…

It was like I totally harshed the vibe of the kitchen party and sucked all of the decency and morality out of the room.

I scrambled to come up with something that involved the words “mindfulness” or “compassion” as a way to save face and appear to be an upstanding young Buddhist who was able to control her wicked devil tongue.

Maybe I was possessed. Some kind of hungry sex ghost snuck in and got all “Paranormal Activity” in me.

Are we Buddhists more puritanical than the Christians that proclaim that sex is a natural way to express God’s love? Does anyone have any experiences to share on this?

If you are in Montreal, join me and some other smutty Buddhas for Brad Warner’s two talks.

•October 26, 2010 (Tues) – 12 Noon Luncheon at Allen Memorial Hospital (McGill University)

•October 26, 2010 (Tues) – 7pm Casa Del Popolo 4873 boul. St. Laurent Montreal, QC

Brad will no doubt discuss things that will put your prayer shawls in knots and make you shake your mala beads at him (either in distain or in support).

The illustrious Brad Warner will be speaking at two upcoming events in Montreal as part of the Sex, Sin and Zen book tour.

•October 26, 2010 (Tue) – 12 Noon Luncheon at Allen Memorial Hospital (McGill University)
•October 26, 2010 (Tues) – 7pm Casa Del Popolo 4873 boul. St. Laurent Montreal, QC

You can probably expect more questions like this to come out of the Montreal crowd…

Sexuality isn’t something that’s covered that much in Buddhism. When I tell people I’m a Buddhist and should sex come up, the reaction has ranged from asking I’m into that freaky tantra stuff like Sting or whether I’m celibate. No really middle way when it comes to this road.

It’s also a topic that hasn’t really come up for me that often in the sanghas I’ve been a part of or the Buddhist media that I’ve consumed. I’ve heard stories of sexual misconduct of teachers but never really could understand that grey area of what actually sexual misconduct means.

When I heard that Brad Warner’s latest book would touch upon the topic of sex and Buddhism, I was intrigued. I’d always felt a mix of emotions towards Brad’s writing- very much love and hate. I loved what he was saying, but I was challenged by the fact that he was posting his work on the softcore website- Suicide Girls (NSFW). It was difficult for me to resolve that the messages of no self were tangled up in nubile, naked flesh.   Rather than celebrate the beauty of these ladies, I was only feeling less desirable myself.

But I digress…

Brad’s latest book is really good… It covers so much terrain – from masturbation, abortion, monogamy, polygamy, orgasm, pornography and more. The tone is very lighthearted and doesn’t stray from the humourous style that is to be expected with his writing. Rather than sounding high and mighty, the book is a friendly examination of the topics that few Buddhist authors have dared to cover. I could say its quite tongue in cheek – but with this book, it could really extend itself beyond the usual sense of this phrase.

I admire the honesty that Brad displays within this book. He isn’t afraid to admit his failings or shortcomings and hearing this come from a Buddhist teacher makes me feel like less of a fuck up. Authenticity is sexy.

In many areas, I was surprised by Brad’s straight-laced attitude towards certain sexual practices. My mistaken perception of him showed me that I assigned him a persona that didn’t necessarily mesh with his reality. So all this time, I’d been so crotchety over the Suicide Girls thing, when I was much more progressive than I thought (and perhaps freakier than the “porno-monk” Brad Warner). Yikes.

But I digress…

Brad gives a very middle way approach – he doesn’t openly condemn certain practices, but rather speaks of how they might not necessarily be that healthy to oneself or others. He does cite historical treatises on sexuality (see the chapters on “Sexual Angles on Buddhism”), so there is a background to the positions held by many elders.

He’s unorthodox. The book is the same. He takes traditional chants and changes them so that “piece of ass” replaces “food”, but he does these kinds of things to make a point. This book is what I’d expect if I was to find the diary of Hefner, Buddha, Bart Simpson, and Kinsey all rolled into one.

The book is worth checking out if you have an interest in the topic of sexuality and Buddhism or if you enjoyed Brad’s previous books and want to complete your collection. It’s a long read, but once you start, it does suck you in and you’re curious to discover what else will present itself within its pages.

I’m inspired to blog about this topic more and I have this book and Brad to thank. By his bravery in opening the kimono, I hope that Buddhists will also share their experiences as openly as they have on other areas of the paths. Sex is no different than eating, sleeping, sitting in the meditation hall…

]]> http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2010/09/review-of-sex-sin-and-zen-bradwarner/feed/ 1 http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2010/09/dharmaseans-review-of-brad-warners-sex-sin-and-zen/ http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2010/09/dharmaseans-review-of-brad-warners-sex-sin-and-zen/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:57:44 +0000 TMcG http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/?p=2305 My buddy Sean who is a dharma teacher here in Montreal (Dharma Punx style) has been kind enough to provide a review of the new Brad Warner book for this blog. I like Sean. He’s a smart cat who hails from the Maritimes and has a penchant for the punk rock music too. Sean’s a blogger as well and gets nice and political with what topics he writes about. As an engaged Buddhist, he participates in teaching meditation to prisoners. Yeah. He’s a pretty rad dude. I’m sure you’ll enjoy his review and it will buy me time until I put together my own review which is in the works.Do check out his blog as it’s worth reading about his journey on the path. Now for the review…

Brad Warner’s new book, Sex, Sin, and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything in Between, tackles a subject that is rarely discussed in Buddhist circles: Sex! Honestly, I can only really think of two teachers that are willing to discuss this topic, Noah Levine (author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream) and Mr. Warner himself. Before I start talking about the book, it might be interesting to some of you to first discuss how Brad has been involved in discussions on the idea of “right livelihood”. Brad was a columnist for the alternative porn site Suicide Girls, this created much criticism in many Buddhist circles, that a Zen monk would write for such a website. I have found myself “defending” Brad more times than I wish to remember, I find that people are quick to judge others on the decisions that they have taken. People seem to put their teachers on pedestals, seeing as they represent the Buddha’s teachings they are meant to be held to this unrealistic ideal, they are still human after all. Also, I find that it is the critics that are creating their own suffering by clinging to these closed views, I am sure that Brad would say that he is responsible for whatever karma he may be accumulating from this work and was completely accountable from whatever may arise from this job. I don’t really want to get into it too much here, I find that I have discussed this enough and that it is time that we move on, if it makes you feel better, he no longer does the column. Brad also has a great explanation of why he decided to do it, so go get the book and check it out for yourself, and then you can form your own opinion.

Sex is a controversial topic, but it is such an important part of our lives (I mean, most people are obsessed with sex, how could we not be? It’s so much fun and feels so great! However, it is also the source of many headaches!), and there are not many texts out there that take such an honest look at the topic in relation to the dharma. Brad covers all topics, from masturbation to the porn industry to BDSM (that’s an acronym for the S&M industry kiddies) to LGBT issues and more. I find that Brad is really coming into his own as an author, I have always been a fan of his books, but he is able to present very wise and deep teachings without losing his pop-culture references and wit! (his footnotes are still the source of most of his zingers!) I don’t want to give too much away, so I have decided to share with you all one of my favourite passage from the book in hopes to entice you to go to your local independent bookstore and pick up a copy. I am sure that Brad could use your coin!

The book begins with his retelling of a talk that he gave in Montreal (514 represent Whoot!) at Casa Del Popollo (Probably one of the best bars in Montreal, go support local businesses that create community kids!) when someone asked him if Buddhists could “jack-off”. Pretty big first question after a talk if you ask me. Brad decides to respond this question by demystifying some widely held misconceptions about Buddhism in the West. Sin is a concept that is really ingrained in our collective Psyche, we were all mostly raised Christian (at least in Canada) or in Judaism and Islam where sin plays a big role in all that is morality. What we must remember however, is that Buddhism is from the Global East and does not have the concept of sin, this is something that the West brought to morality. This can been seen by how the Japanese view porn and the other facets of the sex industry. He also takes the time to clarify that Buddhism is not a religion, you may be wondering “What about all those temples with statues etc?”, but Buddhism as such is not spirituality it is realism. (I know, this book was probably in the spirituality section of the bookstore) This makes total sense when we look at the history of philosophy, which its history can be divided into two categories: idealism and materialism. Spirituality is seen as a kind of idealism “It takes the view that the spiritual world, the world of ideas, imagination, and mental formations, is the true reality.” This brings to mind the common notion in religious circles that we are souls trapped in bodies, but this is not at all a Buddhist concept. Materialism, instead of seeing material matter as nonexistent, sees it as primary. “Materialists, on the other hand, see matter as primary and spirit either as nonexistent or, at least, as negligible.” Buddhism believes that neither materialism nor idealism is correct: “We are not immaterial spirits trapped in material bodies, nor are we mere permutations of essentially dead matter who only imagine we have a spiritual side.” I am sure, if you have dabbled in Buddhism before, that you have heard the famous line out of the Heart Sutta “Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form.” “Rather, the experiential, internal, subjective, spiritual side of our day-to-day existence and the hard, external, objective, material world we inhabit are manifestations of one underlying reality that is neither spirit nor matter.” This is how we are able to perceive Buddhism as realism; so as Brad finishes this discussion by saying that when you are jerking off, just jerk off, and when you are not, then don’t.

Brad is able to give us some real-world wisdom on a topic that is definitely controversial, but I find that he has done a great job. The book brings you on an interesting journey in the world of sex: masturbation, dating, gender identity, pornography and so much more. I must admit that I found certain passages to be very interesting, there is a chapter that discusses a group in the Bay Area (that is San Francisco, Oakland, Berkley, etc for those of you unfamiliar with California) that practice Orgasm Meditation (Some interesting observations and stories that’s for sure!). He interviews Nina Hartley (porn star from the 1980s who was raised in a Zen family and is now a registered nurse and sex activist), and I really enjoyed his defense for writing for Suicide Girls. His defense is very eloquent and well thought out, he makes a great argument that we should have much more problems with people pandering base desires with instant enlightenment seminars and meditation machines, than what is being presented on the Suicide Girls website. I find that this also goes back to our Western understanding that sex = sin. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about sex in Buddhism and is sick of always getting the same answer from their meditation teachers (you know the one that I am talking about, when they refer you to the rules of sex for monks in monastaries). Brad gives us insights and answers that we are able to apply in the real world, a much more pragmatic approach if you ask me!

I couple of giggles reverberated throughout the crowd showing how uncomfortable it can be to give mention to Buddhism and sex in the same sentence. I’ve seen few brave people provide their take on the questions surrounding “What the Buddha Taught” in relation to this specific topic in both layperson and monastics lives and I’ve been quite reticent myself to provide my take – perhaps out of sheer, adolescent giggilyness for fear of letting my private parts show on this blog.

I was so impressed to see Buddhist scholar José Cabezón tackle the mysteries around sexuality and Buddhism in and article he wrote for the Summer issue of Buddhadharma Magazine. You can check out the article and discussion around this via this link to the Shambhala Sun Space.

I admire José Cabezón’s dedication to exploring and writing about the nature of the label of ‘deviant’ as it is placed on sexual activities that we Westerers take as no big deal in this day and age. The controversy surrounding the Dalai Lama’s comments on homosexuality have caused much rancor and when asked how I can support a belief system that holds homosexuality as wrong, I can only respond that at the time when the sutras were written, the prescription to avoid suffering was to avoid these activities.

Times have changed and we aren’t there anymore, however, in my opinion,  there is so much wrapped up in the context of desire, attachment, ego and self that comes about from our sexuality and can understand how the ancients would believe that sexual activity can take us down a slippery slope (no pun intended).

The notion of the Middle Way is interesting as a means to navigate the choppy waves of sex, but I wouldn’t venture how best to explain how loose and tight strings could be best made into an analogy for use in the bedroom context! I’ll leave that to the more learned practicioners and scholars!!!

You can check out Brad’s response to the question “Are Buddhists Allowed to Jack Off” here:

Now for the answer to the koan, what is the sound of one hand… naw.. I won’t go there…

When I was a wee gal, I remember a friend started the self-titled ‘Trisha Murray School of Boy Kicking’ and asked me if I’d join. She cultivated some fine techniques through the use of a delicate toe tap encased in a brown mary-jane sandal and wanted to bring me along for her journey to rid the schoolyard of creepy, cootie-laden manchilds (or at least the future spawn of that generation of manchilds) . I can’t quite remember if I joined her troupe of merry nut-kickers or if I was more interested in raiding my rock and roll addicted aunt’s closet and listen to her stories of dating not-so pro wrestlers from the local circuit.

Something tells me I chose the latter option, despite how fun and glamorous starting a career as a  juvenile nad kicker sounded at the time.

Well all this being said, a few nights ago I went to see Brad Warner speak during his visit to Montreal. Not to go all “Teen Beat” in discussing the punk rock Buddhaboys; their outfits, hairstyles, tattoos, boyish mannerisms and so on, but I always had more of an affinity for Noah Levine. His writing and teachings resonated with me because the reflected so much gentleness, peace and compassion. With Brad’s writings, I was always left hostile, dismissive and kinda felt like he was really a slack Buddhist who didn’t take the responsibility of being a Zen teacher to heart but looked to provoke the shit out of people.

And this shit provoking is the reason why I am “un-trashing” Brad Warner.

*For the record, I never really trashed him ** much**  in the first place…

When I first started practicing Buddhism, I followed the Shambhala tradition, left by renegade the original Crazy Wisdom Gangster Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I appriciated his approach which was so fresh to me. I wasn’t up for being spoon-fed dharma that tasted sugar sweet. I appreciated the medicine. I appreciated sitting and questioning the behaviours and motivations of all people, including teachers and the sangha, however, goodness knows I never really questioned my own behaviours and motivations enough.

Brad’s honesty in his most recent book is remarkable as throughout it, he fully exposes himself, warts and all. In his talk, he said that it was nontraditional as far as a speaking tour for a book considering he was embarrassed to read most of what he had written, considering he trashes himself throughout it. Drug use, marital infidelity, death – all subjects usually taboo or at least avoided in the majority of today’s Buddhist bookshelves, are all covered in his story. What used to annoy me about this porno Buddhist, now makes me admire his honest admissions. Anyone who can answer questions from the audience about whether Buddhists can whack off, is OK by my substandard standards.

I spoke with Brad after the talk and may have frightened him by saying that after reading his books, Suicide Girl articles and blog posts, I often either felt like either punching him or hugging him.(Hey! It’s better than kicking him)

Reading Brad’s writing has helped me so much in my personal practice as it’s helped me to work with my dualistic labels and judging mind. Realizing that teachers are human and no different than us non-realized beings has helped me to loosen up and be less of a fan-girl when relating to folks a bit further on the path than I am or in possession of a robe that they feel has no more street cred than a Misfits tshirt.

What does this have to do with ‘Trisha Murray’s School of Boy Kicking”? Well if I did kick any boys back then, I apologize. I think my trigger foot was motivated out of fear and a lack of understanding more so than out of anger.

Today I’m more apt to start the “TanMcG Hugging School” and have ‘kicked the habit’ of being the hateful kicker I used to be. I guess that’s one of the results of walking the path.

We all put our pants on one kicking foot at a time. Me, Brad, Trisha Murray.

]]> http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2009/04/the-un-trashing-of-brad-warner/feed/ 1 http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2009/03/a-review-brad-warners-latest-book/ http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/2009/03/a-review-brad-warners-latest-book/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:09:03 +0000 TMcG http://fullcontactenlightenment.com/?p=760

So a few weeks ago I picked up Brad Warner’s new book “Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate -A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharma” and with a title this all-encompassing, it truly give a sense of how much Brad manages to cover in this, his third book.
As has always happened with Brad’s books, I’m never left feeling wishy-washy or zombied-out-blissful about his writing style or subject matter. He always manages to evoke a visceral reaction from me. Something which I vitally appreciate in a writer and in someone who is so vocal on the path in a teaching role. I felt the same feelings towards Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The stories told about this great ‘crazy wisdom’ master would sometimes make me feel that I was a flake for being so dedicated to this teacher and the Shambhala tradition. Then click… I’d catch myself in judgmental mind. Racing thoughts of how I expect teachers to behave.The expectations. The projections.

Then click… I’d think back to how much I hated being judged as a 16 year old blue haired punk. How I may not have always made the best decisions. How I sometimes am not so pious myself. How my standards shouldn’t necessarily be the model for another person’s behaviour.

Brad’s book is an honest story of a guy who’s just trying to do his best. He’s working with what he’s been dealt and that doesn’t make him any more or less special than the rest of us (sorry Brad- I’m hoping egolessness will prevail in that you don’t take offense to my claim that you’re not special!!!).

In many ways it’s best to seek out those teachers who challenge you, rather than the one’s that pat you on the head and tell you that you are doing great grasshopper. This book was a better read that any of some of the so-called dharma books that I’ve read, purely on the basis of it provoking me in this manner.

For those of you who live in Montreal, Brad Warner will be speaking on 2 occasions:

April 27, 2009 (Mon) Dawson College, 3040 Rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, QC H1W, Canada
April 28, 2009 (Tues) 7 pm, Casa Del Popolo 4873 St Laurent, Montréal, QC H2T 1R6, Canada

and for those who live elsewhere, check out this link for information on if the ‘Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate’ road tour will pull into your town.

Brad’s writing is honest, raw and doesn’t leave me feeling wishy-washy and for that, I fully appreciate what he’s saying. He’s quite critical of the notion of spiritual materialism which is something that I hold in high esteem.

I read this and thought “Holy Buddha Batman!” This is what I’ve been doing all these years on this blog. Picking and choosing selected videos that resonate with me (although many of them are old punkrock or skate videos!)

So here for you dear readers is the day-long TMcG sponsored “Pixelated Buddhist Conference”. Please join in and create your own as I’d love to see what other great Buddhist videos are out there circulating on the web. Drop me a line if you decided to post your own “Pixelated Buddhist Conference”.

Venerable Robina Courtin – “Be Your own Therapist

The 4 Noble Truths – in Claymation

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche – Spiritual Materialism (2)

Noah Levine- “Anger”

Ram Dass – “on Experience”

Pema Chodron – Why I became a Buddhist

Ethan Nichtern – “One City: A Declaration of Interdependence” reading at Google

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa- “How can we deal with everyday distractions?”

Brad Warner – “Skillful Means”