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    • Zen & Enlightenment

      An excerpt from Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen by Brad Warner

      The night that bestselling author and Zen teacher Brad Warner learned that his childhood friend Marky had died of cancer at the age of forty-eight, he had just arrived in Hamburg, Germany where he was scheduled to give a talk to a group of Zen students.
      It was the last thing he felt like doing. Instead, Warner was thinking about all of the things he never said to his friend, since topics like spirituality and meditation didn’t exactly fit with the passion for punk rock they had shared since they were young.
      So, as Warner continued his teaching tour through Europe, he began writing out all the things he wished he had said to Marky before he died, and the ultimate result is the new book Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen.
      Simply and humorously, Warner reflects on why Zen provided him a lifeline in a difficult world. We hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from the book.

      Through sheer dumb luck I happened to encounter Zen Buddhism when I was a teenager. I didn’t go looking for it. It was just there at exactly the time I needed it to be.

      I don’t believe in Buddhism either, by the way. It’s not like I heard their fairy tales and figured they were better than anybody else’s stories. The Buddhists have fairy tales too. The difference is that nobody cares if you believe them. They don’t care whether you believe their stories because the very idea of a you who can believe in stories is something they also call into question.

      Even so, I’m not all that interested in Buddhism. I’m much more interested in what is true. What I like about Buddhism is that the Buddhists are also interested in what is true. At least, most of them are.

      I’m not sure if Zen Buddhism would have helped you or not, Marky. I never tried to sell it to you. You knew I was into it, but you never asked.

      I never liked people who tried to sell me their religions. I know you didn’t either, so I wasn’t gonna do that to you. No one ever tried to sell me Zen Buddhism. If they had, I would have regarded them as people who were too insecure to believe in something unless a bunch of other people believed it too. I have no time for that.

      But nowadays I’m a minor spiritual celebrity. I’m not as big as Deepak, but I’m big enough to make a living at it. Which was always a source of embarrassment whenever I interacted with you and still embarrasses me when I’m around friends who, like you, knew me long before I started doing what I do now.

      I see spiritual celebrities as charlatans, as people who make their living selling empty promises that they themselves don’t even believe. I swear that’s not what I do. But I don’t have anything against anyone who assumes the worst about me in that regard. Because that’s probably what I’d assume about me if I wasn’t me.

      Spiritual celebs play the same stupid games as regular celebs. They, or maybe I should say we, validate each other the same way cheap nightclub singers do when they get on TV talk shows.

      It’s like there’s a little Enlightened Beings Club. Here’s how it works. Some guy says he’s got enlightenment. He has a story to back him up about the wonderful day when he finally understood everything about everything. Another guy, his teacher, certified him as a member of the Enlightened Beings Club. And now he’s ready to help you learn to be just like him.

      You go to the enlightened guy, and he trains you to imitate the things he says. Or if he’s real clever he teaches you how to rephrase his schtick in your own words. If your imitation meets his criteria, he gives you his seal of approval, and off you go. The industry is self-perpetuating. It’s in your teacher’s best interests to support your claims of enlightenment since you, in turn, are expected to support his. Without such support, the whole thing falls to pieces.

      If someone comes along and says, “Ain’t no such thang,” it threatens the whole system since it is built on extremely shaky ground. Unless people believe in enlightenment, enlightenment cannot exist. The enlightenment they sell is nothing more than the belief in enlightenment.

      This is the same deal with religions. Believing in God is not like believing in the existence of Mount St. Helens or something tangible like that. The difference is that you can question the existence of Mount St. Helens all you want, but it doesn’t go away. But when someone questions the existence of God, the very existence of God is threatened, because that sort of God is nothing more than the belief in God.

      And here’s what’s even weirder.

      It turns out that enlightenment actually is real.

      God actually does exist.

      I don’t know how you feel about my saying that now that you’re dead, Marky. But I know that when you were alive you would have rolled your eyes at me. And I would not have blamed you.

      There are a lot of things I wish I’d talked to you about. But I didn’t. And so I’m writing you this letter. Maybe I’ll write you a bunch of letters. There’s a lot to say. I don’t know if there’s an afterlife and you can somehow read these letters, or if there’s reincarnation and you’re still a baby and can’t read them, or if you just stay dead after you die, in which case you’ll never even know of their existence. Maybe I’ll write about that in another letter.

      All I know is that whether or not you can receive what I’m saying doesn’t change the fact that there are things I want to say. And so I’m going to say them.

      But I’m going to have to say them later because right now there’s nobody else in the Pizza Pazza and the surly guy behind the counter is giving me a funny look. So I’d better scarf down my cold pizza and go.

      Brad Warner is the author of Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen and numerous other titles including It Came from Beyond Zen, Don’t Be a Jerk, and Hardcore Zen. A Soto Zen teacher, he is also a punk bassist, filmmaker, and popular blogger who leads workshops and retreats around the world. He lives in Los Angeles where he is the founder and lead teacher of the Angel City Zen Center. Visit him online at www.hardcorezen.info.

      Excerpted from the book Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen. Copyright ©2019 by Brad Warner. Printed with permission from New World Library.

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    • Double Vision: Can Pets in Spirit Offer Us Spiritual Guidance?
      ARTghost_cat article12244266971

      My dog passed two years ago. I ask him for signs that he is okay and I actually get them. For example, I asked him for a sign and discovered a dog bone on the floor at my gym. Could I ask him for guidance on the issues in my life? If so, how would I do that? Thank you!

      Cindy

      Astrea:

      Our animal companions are more than pets to some of us. They have the ability to comfort and bring us solace in ways no human ever could. They guide us when we’re awake and guard us while we sleep.

      They continue to guide us when they leave this world. Just because their lives aren’t as long as ours doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to be together after one of us dies, for the unconditional love we feel for each other surpasses any physical connection we might forge. People can do this with each other too – just not as well.

      Your puppy is surely caring for you from the spirit world. There was telepathy there when the two of you were alive, and now that one of you isn’t, there is still telepathy flowing through this relationship.

      You went to your faithful companion for comfort while he was living, so why not continue to seek him out when you’re in need now? The bond between you is eternal, so there’s no reason for anything to end here.

      While some people might feel this isn’t rational, I can tell you from recent personal experience that it makes perfect sense to many people. Some of us are closer to our animal companions than we’ll ever be to our human loved ones, and, sometimes, our pets help us form deep bonds with other people so we won’t be so lonely when they’re gone from us.

      When my old Tigger cat left this world last May, I was a mess until I realized that he wasn’t very far away from me. He leaves me signs all over the place that he’s still taking care of me. He did it for 18 years while he was alive, and I have many reasons to believe he’s still doing it.

      When I say Help, Tigger, I can feel his beautiful extra long tail swish against my legs. Then I can be strong and courageous for whatever task confronts me.

      Remember, our animals are there for us through thick and thin. They don’t judge what we do or complain about our choices. They support us throughout our lives whether they’re in this world or another.

      In fact, they are with us in some ways that people never could be. You have received a real and true sign that your dog will be able to answer any question or help with any problem you might have. I think the dog bone appearing at your gym is just fantastic!

      The love the two of you shared and still share is so great that even death can’t defeat it. I truly believe that we’ll all be reunited with our animal friends one day. Keep this special relationship alive in your heart until the two of you are reunited in a celestial incarnation.

      *****

      Susyn:

      It’s wonderful to know that our beloved pets can reach out to us from the other side, and even send messages or evidence to confirm that they’re nearby?

      Many clients ask me if animals can visit them in spirit form like people do after they cross over, and my answer is a resounding yes! Often during my channeling sessions with clients, pets are the first to show up just to let their owners know they are happy and doing well.

      As for receiving direction from him, I doubt you asked him for guidance on the important issues in your life when he was there with you, and I don’t sense that this is his purpose for connecting with you now. His main concern is the same as it was before he passed: To protect you and give you his undying devotion.

      As a loyal protector, he still feels it’s his mission to watch over you and be a part of your life in much the same way he was for so many years. In particular, he appears to be intent on warning you about potential troubles.

      For example, he would wake you in the middle of the night if there was a fire or an intruder, or cause you to hesitate while driving in order to avoid an impending accident.

      Keep in mind that you can always request guidance from your personal spirit guides and angels, for they are all ready to help at a moment’s notice. I encourage you to invite them in and ask for signs of their presence, just like you’ve done with your dog.

      In this way, you’ll be able to access the intuitive direction and guidance you’ll need to deal with all the important issues that crop up in your life. A quick way to access this guidance is through meditation, and I encourage you to set aside time each day for this purpose.

      You used to make sure to schedule time every day for walking your dog, so you might think of this routine in a similar way.

      Find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted and sit on the floor in a comfortable position. Light a single purple candle and concentrate on inviting your special guides in.

      Try forming a picture of each one of them in your head, as this will make them more personal to you. Some you may recognize from this lifetime, while others you may be meeting with for the first time. Either way, you can trust that they are all there to help you in any way they can.

      I sense your dog is always nearby, almost underfoot like a shadow of your movements. In this way he is fueling the undying bond between the two of you and assuring you that he will remain forever by your side.

      Isn’t that a wonderful feeling, Cindy?

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