There has been a retreat here at Shasta for the last four or so days which I’ve been involved with. Thus little time to write here. I’ve not so much been leading it as walking beside or perhaps walking along behind! However, it has been an intense time, with morn to night activity.

One evening instead of sitting talking together we went outside and wandered around. (Not normal retreat activity by the way.) The instruction was to refrain from naming what entered our eyes and to simply allow the sight to enter in. Remembering at the same time that it is at the back of the head, the visual cortex, where vision registers. Refraining from naming and labelling, no like/dislike just simply allowing what is there to be there. Refraining from staring or fixing on objects. Just wondering about with no destination, no place to go, nothing to do. Twenty minutes later we came back together and many found this an interesting exercise. Try it yourself why not.

When going from one place to another its all too easy to worry walk. And worry walking tends to bring one’s eyes down onto the ground. To look down rather than look ahead, or up, to where one is going. Looking down coupled with mentally being ahead of where one is physically is surely no way to live. Is it?

This sweet pug can no longer see and gets about with the assistance of a wheeled cart. Walking and then coming up against an object is its way of navigating space. Bump, turn, bump, turn. With opened and flowing eyes we need not bump into objects, and our minds perhaps, in order to navigate.

Spare a thought for Muji who is in declining health and for Jim and Nancy too who are looking after him. Intense times.

You may find this article of interest.

The Buddhism holds that truth – especially religious truth – is something that everyone has access to and of which no one has monopoly. It could be understood by everyone for himself. The Buddha did not believe in distributing ready-made transcendental wisdom for everyone. He wanted people to get at the Dhamma by themselves (paccattam veditabbo). When someone presented a theory the Buddha would naturally ask him “Do you know and see this yourself?”.

Article in Daily News – Buddhist Attitude To Other Religions by Professor Chandima Wijebandara

Thank you to the Reverend who sent me the link to this article.

This for those who can’t have enough cat or kitten input.
On video. From Russia.

This video brings to mind the admonishment by Zen Master Dogen in Rules for Meditation, which goes thusly: Do not spend so much time in rubbing only part of the elephant. What we see (in our everyday way) IS only part of the elephant, no wonder we can get all worked up over stuff. But what’s a little kitten to do when faced with A BALL! Well skitter about until…it gets bored and then find something else to skitter with. What do we do? Perhaps remind ourselves that there is always a bigger picture. And keep that in mind.

You can fetch the whole of Rules for Meditation as a .pdf file from the Shasta Abbey website.

Thanks to my Throssel walking companion for the link. Keep sending those links my way please.

The flowers and fruit of Buddhist practice.

At the Monterey Market, Berkeley
Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got (in your mind) till it explodes out of your mouth! For example on the spiritual insight level of things. Not so very long ago by way of spiritual encouragement I said, You have everything. You ARE everything. The response? Oh, that’s very Zen! This came as a bit of a shock. Especially since I don’t really go for pithy Zen like sayings, let alone come out with them. Just what did I think I was doing? Obviously I wasn’t thinking at all. It just came out. And had I paused for a nano second I’d have spoken a paragraphs worth, not half a lines worth. Statements of certainty are all very well however they probably don’t help much.

And generally what comes out of ones mouth needs to be watched doesn’t it. It’s just amazing what escapes the lips when you’re not watching. Little asides, sharp words, blunt words, words like arrows which penetrate into the recesses of ones emotional being. Uh! we all have sent and received those arrows, lobbed blunt paragraphs when something softer would have worked better.

Looked at from a Buddhist practice perspective those words, phrases and lengthier escapees are so helpful. Sometimes one simply does not know what’s there hidden below the surface of ones everyday consciousness. That’s until some aside slips out and takes one by surprise. Happened with me the other day. Rather than drowning in guilt and shame one can choose (and it is a real and difficult internal choice) to keep swimming along mentally/emotionally allowing the layers of understanding and appreciation to surface.

It never ceases to amaze me how the unfolding or deepening appreciation of thoughts, words and deeds which catch ones attention simple undo. Once again it’s the basic intention to keep on track with the Precepts that’s the saving of us. That and several dollops of acceptance/compassion. For oneself and for others.

Last thought. Meditation, being reflective during ones day, helps with the ability to make that all important pause before opening ones mouth.