Yearly Archives: 2018

Daily Life, Overcome Difficulties, photograph, Teachings

The Middle Way is Not Straight

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Green is bursting out all over the place. This lane is in the Black Forest Germany where I’ve been spending some time.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Lake District, there has been a whole lot of ‘greening’ going on too. Lakeland Fells are on the horizon.

From my vantage point a small gathering of young deer lurk behind me. The sheep persistent in her presence.

Artful Nature

Then there is nature up close. This dandelion caught my eye,  extending one of it’s fluffy seed heads into a notch at the end of a rural bench.

As you will observe from these photographs the sun has been shining, the weather has been great. So much so one wonders if is will stay this way for ever. Well, nothing lasts for ever and rain today is in the forecast. There is the weather outside and there is the ‘weather’ inside.

This post is for those whose internal weather is testing them mentally/physically and in all ways. We call that having health ‘challenges’. Challenge covers a whole spectrum of pain, discomfort and worry. The question is, how does one meet the challenge. Practically speaking, how does one tread the middle path? That’s between: having ‘further tests’, ‘living with’ what one has, escaping. From my own experience the middle path includes all three: tests, living with (acceptance) and finding ways to escape if for a brief time. Oh yes, and medication.

In particular this is for three people I know who have had, or about to have, further tests or in one case a medical procedure.

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Why am I Doing This?

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Within this article, which goes to the extremes of human behaviour to be sure, are questions for all who endeavour to live a conscious life.

2189 Mile Marathon’. The question ‘Why am I doing this’ is a good one. Introspection is good, unless you are an ultr-marathoner…..https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/the-2189-mile-marathon/559112/

How do you get the unrelenting sense of purpose that sustains, say, one of the world’s greatest ultra-marathoners? Not the way you might think: Avoiding introspection seems to be key. Hutchinson, a creditable runner himself (though his career never came close to matching Jurek’s), spends long passages puzzling over the mysteries of his own peak performances and dissecting his failures. Jurek, meanwhile, gives the impression that doubting his commitment hardly ever even occurred to him—until he hit the Appalachian Trail.

Teachings

Buddhism in Plain English – a Book Available

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For those of you who have not read Rev. Master Daizui’s book Buddhism from Within there is now the chance of buying a print on demand from LULU, downloading a .pdf or buying a copy when visiting either Shasta Abbey or Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey. I’ve a particular connection with this books since Rev. Master Daizui finished writing it sitting in my mobile home/trailer in Cornwall when he visited in the spring of 2002. He was a monk with a mission striding to my trailer each afternoon to work. In the mornings we would do Order business.

We are pleased to announce that Shasta Abbey Press has arranged a second printing of Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy’s book, Buddhism From Within: An Intuitive Introduction to Buddhism. Rev. Master Daizui was a senior disciple of Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett and served as her successor as Head of the Order from 1996 to 2003. The content of the book remains the same.

Buddhism from Within can now be purchased through Lulu.com as a print-on-demand book. This means that when someone orders a copy from Lulu, the book is printed and mailed to the person. The proceeds from purchases help support the Order.

The book is also available for sale at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey and Shasta Abbey; it can be downloaded as a free PDF on the Shasta Abbey Publications webpage.

Copied from an OBC Web Page

Out and About, photograph, Teachings

Appreciating The Day

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Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey at the time of Wesak.

Yesterday, Wesak Day.  We celebrate the Buddhas Birth and Enlightenment sometime during May, the event marks the Buddhist New Year.   Traditionally Wesak is on the Sunday that is closest to May’s full moon.  In Malaysia this year that’s the 29th May.  As a point of interest Rev. Master Jiyu’s Ordination Master, the Venerable Seck Kim Seng, was instrumental in getting Wesak Day made into a public holiday in Malaysia.

As you can see we get out the Buddhist, home-made, bunting and generally decorate brightly around the monastery.  I was fortunate to be at Throssel on Sunday to join in the celebrations.

Moments of repose in the greening of England.

Today, a public holiday.  Moments of repose beside a river:  here  Wild Garlic in profusion, a Blue Heron statue like, birds calling.  A lone duck floats by on the current.  Ah! the sunshine, the warmth. The profusion of greenery.  It’s been a record-breaking day in terms of temperatures.  A good day all around. Even the trash looks good today!

Sitting beside the river this afternoon my mind wandered to those less fortunate all around the wide world.  This post is for them.