Thoughts on the Perfect Hamburger
William Briones, Rimban, Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and Supervising Minister, SFVHBT
In this moment there is nothing that comes to be. In this moment there is nothing that ceases to be. Thus there is no birth-and-death to be brought to an end. Thus the absolute peace is in this present moment. Though it is at this moment, there is no limit to this moment, and herein lies eternal delight.
Sixth Patriarch, Zen Master Hui-neng
For the past couple of years I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect hamburger. A couple of years ago I was searching for the perfect chicken and before that the perfect salmon. Unfortunately, Nobuko doesn’t let me sample too many hamburgers … health issues, you know.
A couple of years ago I found the perfect hamburger that set the standard: mesquite-grilled Kobe beef with Humboldt Fog Cheese, arugula, and garlic butter on a King’s Hawaiian Sweet Bun and garlic fries … mmmm. So far there hasn’t been a burger that’s come close.
However, recently, I had an opportunity to reflect on my narrow view of perfection. A couple of months ago, I visited my daughter and her family during a family wedding that I officiated. I don’t get to see my grandkids very often, so it’s always a treat when I see them even though it just might be for a day. While I was there, I took my grandsons, Malik and Tyson, to McDonald’s. The kids love McDonald fries and I like to indulge in a Quarter Pounder once in a while. And as we ate our lunch, laughing and teasing each other, I couldn’t help but think, “How perfect this moment was to be with Malik and Tyson. Everything was just perfect, even the McDonald’s hamburger.”
There are moments that make me pause: Sunrise, sunset, when my grandson looks at me and says “grandpa … I love you,” or when I wake up and I find Nobuko beside me. Moments that seem so extraordinarily precious, so wonderful, that I can’t help but say “ah … this is perfect.”
The Reading I began with is from the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Master Hui-neng. Hui-neng concludes that absolute peace is within this moment.
In Japanese there is the phrase “Ichigo Ichie,” meaning one encounter, one chance. “Ichigo Ichie” captures the essence of living in the present moment.
The phrase “Ichigo Ichie” had its peaceful beginning in Sado, Tea Ceremony. There is one meeting of tea master and guest, one moment of time when tea is made and shared. The experience cannot be repeated.
This philosophy of Ichigo Ichie had an extremely wide influence on Japanese culture. Not only in Sado, but it also had its influence in ikebana, or flower arranging. The blossoms last a very short time. Fail to arrange them beautifully or meaningfully and the moment is lost, the beauty is faded.
In Shodo, “way of calligraphy,” there is also no room for error. Once the ink-laden brush touches the paper, the stroke can never be erased or altered. “Ichigo ichie,” Sado, shodo, kado, judo, and many other Japanese arts are practices in living in the present moment, a concept of awareness rooted in Zen Buddhism.
In this sense, the object of the tea ceremony is the same as the object of Zen meditation … to become fully conscious of each moment as it happens.
How does one become conscious of each moment? How do we cultivate the mind of “Ichigo ichie”? Do we have to sit zazen?
After Prince Siddhartha became enlightened and became Buddha, he gave his first sermon and it is said he taught the Four Noble Truths, the fourth truth being the way to eliminate suffering; this was called the Noble Eightfold Path. This path combines right thought and right actions, which lead to the ultimate goal of the realization of truth and the reality of life.
Of the eight ways, the seventh, Right Mindfulness, is something we can all practice every day, every hour, every minute. Each moment gives us an opportunity to make us aware of how our thoughts are working.
Mindfulness is about being aware of one’s body, feelings, and all thoughts that arise within. It’s about knowing one’s mind so that we will be able to tell if our mind is selfish, angry, or conniving.
The concept of mindfulness helps make sense of such moments for me. The basic idea is simplicity itself: Be aware of what you are doing as you are doing it. When you’re eating a McDonald’s hamburger, be conscious of eating a McDonald’s hamburger, not comparing it to a Salt Creek Grill Kobe Hamburger. When people are talking to you, focus on them, not on what you’re going to say as soon as they stop.
More often than not we forget about being mindful; I know I do. How often do I find myself rushing out the door to go to work, forgetting my temple keys or not remembering if I shut the iron off. Instead of living in the present, all too often I live in the past or future. These irritating but consequential occurrences give me an opportunity to reflect upon my lack of awareness of my imperfections and my self-centeredness.
One need not sit in zazen meditation for hours … It’s the everyday occurrences for which we should be grateful. They’re all around us if we just recognize how marvelous they really are.
Being mindful of the perfection within the moment is no more than just slowing down, savoring the moment in appreciation and gratitude. To recognize and be in total awareness of the causes and conditions. This is the basis of the truth-reality with which Jodo Shinshu is concerned.
These everyday occurrences for which we should be grateful are all around us if we just recognize how marvelous and perfect they really are. To truly seek out and become aware of what each of these things are and to truly sense their worth in our life is what living in the Nembutsu means.
My quest for perfection reminds me of the movie “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. Ken Watanabe’s character is searching for the perfect Cherry blossom. He tells Cruise’s character, Algren, that a perfect blossom is a rare thing, that you could spend a lifetime looking for one and it would not be a waste of time. However, as he lay dying on the battlefield overlooking a Cherry tree grove, he sees Cherry blossoms gently falling to the ground and he whispers, “Perfect. They are all perfect.”
Even a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder can be perfect.
Namo Amida Butsu