This post is in memory of the Halloween nights I’ve sat nervously eating the children’s give-away candy while waiting for the Priory door bell to ring. I felt besieged, I was besieged.
In Edmonton Canada the children came with pillow cases to collect the sweets. In Reading England in the early 1990’s just a few children came, neighbours children. In Eugene Oregon in 1988 I became transfixed by the carved pumpkins arrayed on the porches in our neighbourhood.
This is for all those who are besieged in their homes and for the woman I spoke to this afternoon, now cooking for the oncoming hoards. Who are you going to call?
What, or who, are you going to call on when you become besieged?
Eunoia is the shortest word in English containing all five vowels – and it means “beautiful thinking”. It is also the title of Canadian poet Christian Bok‘s book of fiction in which each chapter uses only one vowel. (Taken from the BBC Radio 4 ‘Today programme’ web page)
Hiking in British districts, I picnic in virgin firths, grinning in mirth with misfit whims, smiling if I find birch twigs, smirking if I find mint sprigs.
Each vowel has it’s own ‘personality’ it would seem. I like ‘i’. Jaunty fun loving ‘i’.
It’s good to be back in the monastery again, where I’ll stay for ‘awhile’. Thanks for travelling along with me, for meeting and greeting me in North America and now in England. And for housing and feeding and driving and going shopping and walking and laughing and teaching and directing and inspiring. Yep, lots of beautiful thinking. Thank you all so much.
I should not forget my ‘walking companion’ who sent me the link to the BBC Web site. Thank you too. I look forward to many walkings and talkings during the coming weeks.
You can notice Buddha almost anywhere — laundromats, store windows, barbershops, farmers’ markets, souvenir stands, tucked away on someone’s night table. The Buddha Project encourages people worldwide to participate by submitting photos of found Buddha, sacred Buddha, ancient Buddha, kitschy Buddha, handmade Buddha.
Here’s the Buddha’s I found today.
Hotei in wood and for sale
Buddha flyer
For sale Buddha
Window Buddha
Kate’s first Buddha
Thanks very much to Elrond for the link and for his suggestion I submit photographs to The Buddha Project. For now I’ll just keep my eyes open and snap what I find.
How many times
did I think of you?
How very many times
did I stoop
and wonder at this life?
How many times did I pause;
stoop,
gaze,
and wish to bring you
what has come to me.
I’ll be ‘off grid’, with no connection to the internet, for a couple of weeks. More than likely there will be long walks along sandy beaches. This will be a wonderful change of pace after these past five months of travelling. Let the sun shine!
Watch out for posting some time after 24th October.
Practice Within The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives
