Category Archives: Daily Life

Alone With Others

Here at Telford Priory to write a leaflet about our religious order, The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives. The intent is to raise awareness about the Order generally. What it does, it’s purpose and the like. Here’s a line about our basic religious purpose:

The underlying purpose of the Order is to foster the successful religious practice of its members.

On way to foster success is to remember that one practices alone together with others. Writing collaboratively, as we are, is an expression of this. When isn’t it a matter of alone/together?

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Gratitude Knows No Bound

Gratitude.

An emotion? A thought? An action? An attitude of mind? An expression shouted out (and inwardly) covering the great earth?

Probably all of the above and more. And the more is the moving on, or in and out, of the above.

It is said that the Great Earth is the foundation of gratitude and refers to the fundamental ground of Everything. That’s a ‘great’ larger than normal conceptions. Posting April 5th, 2005 – Green Mountains are Forever Walking.

Gratitude, as the expression goes, knows no bound. No wonder expressing gratitude is the simple every-day work of getting on and doing the best one can, in every-day circumstance. And that is not dependent on feeling/thinking/being grateful. Living Buddhism is bigger than that.

Moved to write this in response to an engaging phone call this morning and to an email from somebody letting me know a donation had been made to Jade Mountains through Every-Click.

BTW. I’ve updated the donation page recently. If you plan to make a donation via Every-Click please take a look. Your offerings cover the great earth.

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Blessings In Disguise

If anybody achieves at least endurance of misery,
she has already accomplished an almost superhuman task.
Carl Jung

My mind goes out this evening to those who have a long term disability. Who live with this day in and day out. Some, in the midst of pain, come to live in steady gratitude. I’d wish that for all.

What may appear at first to be a life changing truely terrible turn of events may, in time, turns out to be a life blessing, and vice versa. Here is a classic Vedic story which illustrates the point.

A wise man had two things in life that he treasured–his son and his pony. One day, his son had left the gate to the corral open and the pony escaped. His neighbours, hearing that he had lost his prized possession, came to offer their condolences, to which he responded, “We’ll see.”

The next day the pony returned, and following it right into his corral were three beautiful wild horses. When the neighbours heard of this fortuitous turn of events, they paid him another visit to congratulate him on his good fortune. Again, he responded, “We’ll see.”

The following day, his son decided to try and ride one of the new horses, but on his first attempt was thrown to the ground, breaking his leg. Again, rather than judging the event, the wise man considered the situation with patience and acceptance.

Sure enough, the next day the army came to town and rounded up every able-bodied young man to fight a battle. Because of his injury, the son was left behind.

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Not An Event – It’s Happening!

Walking to the Medicine Meal this evening, the small lamps in the lane lighting my way through the mounding up snow, I once again was brought to know how fortunate I am. Fortunate to be here in the wonderful snowy wilds of Northumberland with the immediate happy anticipation of eating a meal with like minded people. Yes, and having adequate shelter, clothing and the like.

I guess my thoughts of gratitude are triggered by thoughts of one who is in very much less fortunate circumstances. Yesterday I discovered that somebody I know distantly in the Buddhist Blogger world is homeless in Sacramento. He once encouraged me to keep on writing this blog. He also gave me some good advice too, which he needn’t have done. I was and am grateful.

Spare a thought for Tom. Homelessness is not an event – it’s Happening. And so is the snow!

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Year of Stability, Harmony and Balance

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Year of the OX ornament from Japan

Over the years I’ve been given a number of these Japanese style porcelain bells depicting the animal associated with the lunisolar calender. Year of the OX started on 26th January and the bell arrived on the 27th. Good timing. Receiving a package in the mail is always an unexpected pleasure, and sometimes receiving a present becomes a shared pleasure.

Pulling open the package in the yard with expectant faces gathered around. The package tinkles. What is it we wonder aloud. I already know what it is. The object nestles in tissue paper. It emerges gradually and we guess. It’s, it’s the year of the…camel? No. The year of the pig? No. Then one of the monks spotted the twirling horns. Yes! The year of the buffalo! Close.

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Commemorative stamp issued by Canada Post for the Year of the OX

It’s also a special time for Canada Post, …This year, we honour the Year of the Ox: a time of stability, harmony and balance. The issue will be the first release in a new 12-year Lunar New Year series.

Thanks Canada Post, you are the jewel in the crown of stamp design worldwide.

See previous posting on the Year of the Pig.

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