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DharmaGlimpsesI enjoyed the article in the Spring, 1999story.is also a Catholic Buddhist…It was the Sunday where the priestempty. As it was my habit to make sure Idrive home, it started to rain. I entered arealization that since rain comes to washter…Instead of focusing on your self-centeredlife circumstances you are in. By seeingWillingly accept and become one with theharaity. Spiritual stability can be likened to a Rev. Haya Akegarasu has said that weWithin.”such dualities as good–bad. We can live

Universal Teachings For Everyday Living Page 3

Universal Teachings For Everyday Living Page 3

By Tamon Mark Uttech

issue about the Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue

Retreat held at the Serra Center. You see, I

am a Catholic as well as a Buddhist, although

I was raised a Lutheran! But that is another

I understand the word “Catholic” to mean

“universal” so, just as I am a Catholic Bud-

dhist, anyone universal about their Buddhism

sprinkles holy water on the congregation.

When I got to Mass I noticed all the reser-

voirs of holy water for crossing yourself were

crossed myself with holy water before the

service, I headed to the restroom and used

the water from the tap.

All thru the service I waited for the tradi-

tional sprinkling. All the equipment was up

there beside the altar but nothing happened.

“Oh,” I thought, “that’s it. They’re saving it

for the main service, for the senior priest to

sprinkle it on the elite members of the con-

gregation…” I remembered the tap water

with a mischievous glee. After Mass, on the

away the sins of the world, it is holy water,

and then I wondered what wasn’t holy wa-

What can I say to this?

Namu Amida Butsu.

emotions as the criteria for living, look at the

clearly life as it is, you can flow with the real-

ity before you and do what needs to be done.

realities in your life.

In the East, it is said that the center of one’s

or gut— not in the head or

heart. The foundation of a spiritual life is not

in rational logic or intellectual knowledge, nor

is it in one’s impulsive and changing emo-

tions. Spirituality is the center of one’s grav-

heavy Dharma weight at the bottom of one’s

life. With such a low center of spiritual grav-

ity, life’s storms will not knock you over.

can handle incidents that occur in life (just

like we can handle bad weather) but the real

question is, “How can we handle life itself?”

Such an existential question requires not an

external answer but an internal answer. In-

ternal does not mean egotistic self preoccu-

pation but refers to a spirituality deep within

oneself, which can be called, “The Center

In similar fashion, the French existential phi-

losopher Albert Camus has said, “In the midst

of winter, I discovered within myself an invin-

cible summer.” Or as a Buddhist minister

reversed it, “In the midst of summer, I discov-

ered within myself an invincible winter.” Re-

gardless of whether we are referring to an

inner strength we discover due to life’s diffi-

culties, or whether in good times we stay in

touch with our basic human frailties—there

is a spirituality of Oneness that goes beyond

with this kind of “Everyday Suchness” when

life’s weather is hot and sunny and also when

it is cold and dark.