Category Archives: Teachings

‘Weather’ Patterns

August 19, 2009 Mugo 2 Comments

Here’s a snippet overheard in the mill of monks in the cloister after morning service this morning:

…it depends on which side of the divide we are on.

That’s our unofficial weather monk at work. Here in the middle of the country we can catch the weather coming from the West, from the East, or from all-directions-at-once! Our weather monks’ authoritative forecasts, gleaned from the BBC, have me assured that somebody knows what might happen.

Turning to the East…

turning to the West…

Coming back from shopping in Hexham or Newcastle, or latterly coming from the west, with the valley rounding into sight our weather is all our own. Sun glancing across the folds, walls and farms with the high moors raining. Or, and I believe this happens more often than we know, our valley is beset with a storm while all around – sunshine. Did you see the hail Rev. Mugo! and I think having just returned: Yep like golf balls, and only here in the West Allen Valley too!

Nobody wants to think, or believe, they live in severe weather conditions. It can drag one down, mentally, emotionally and physically too. (There is an informal understanding here that we don’t complain about the wind, or that’s what I remember and endeavor to refrain from complaining – at the very least, out loud.)

As a young monk my Master, during informal teas, would have a chuckle about The Beverly Hillbillies and the permanent storm cloud which hovered over their truck where ever they went. The teaching, intended or not, was obvious and memorable. It had most of us privately checking ourselves for personal clouds!

I’ve a book beside me, Time by Andy Goldsworthy. The following is from the first chapter, Time, Change, Place:

Time and change are connected to place. Real change is best understood by staying in one place. When I travel, I see differences rather than change. I resent travelling south in early spring in case I am away from home when I see my first tree coming into leaf. If this happens, I see the leaves, but not the growth or change.

…returning here.

Our minds tend to make that which is impermanent, and therefore changing, into something permanent. Andy Goldsworthy‘s book of photographs is about, time…and change. The images are oddly disturbing.

Daily Life, Overcome Difficulties, Teachings

Taking A Risk

August 18, 2009 Adrienne 2 Comments

I have had in my mind to write about my daily practise for some time so I am grateful to Rev Mugo for asking me to contribute. Despite the up-rush of feelings of inadequacy I find myself surprisingly enthusiastic and willing to share my thoughts. Having received the email and said Yes, OK, what seemed good to do next was to give my altar a thorough clean and freshen up. I spent a whole morning polishing, dusting and rearranging, using the process as an opportunity for working meditation with the recognition that, somehow, this request had acted as a catalyst for a shift in my practise.

During my conversations with Rev Mugo, both on the phone and via email, she has been very careful not to make me feel like I ought or should contribute…no pressure…yet here it is…a gentle nudge…an opening up to the possibility that putting pen to paper could be of benefit to self and other.

I have written about my Buddhist practice in the past, generally when on retreat at Throssel as an aid to clarify and reflect. But this has been a very private thing, not shared (far too scary), and rarely revisited by myself.

For all of my professional life my focus has been on helping others with their struggles to change and improve their lives. I have written about other people’s thought processes and behaviours in depth, and often. Something I realised a while ago was that my profession as a helper of others has helped me to avoid looking at myself. This, of course, is not a simple equation… it has been a great privilege to be there to support others during their crises and I have learnt a lot. However there has been an aspect of holding myself apart from others… I am the helper – you are the helped.

Revealing myself has been something I have avoided and could have carried on avoiding had it not been for someone else’s suggestion and my willingness to trust. What I do know is that in revealing myself I am not losing anything… there is nothing to be lost.

And still anything I write could just exist between myself and Rev Mugo and used as another form of my studies with her. What are the benefits of going public in this medium? The only way to find out is to do it!

So, kind readers, this is me…giving it a go…taking a risk and trusting myself to all of you that visit Jade Mountains, and perhaps connect with what I have to say.

Teachings

Who Benefits?

August 16, 2009 Mugo 2 Comments

Just sit down and write, don’t even think about an audience. See what comes. You are not trying to be of benefit to others. You write because…that’s just what you are doing. You do it for yourself really. To discover something within the tap, tap, tapping. To draw out, drag out, entice out, allow to uncurl out – what ever’s there. But what if there is nothing there? Trust. Make sitting down and writing what you do each day. Such has been my recent good advice and encouragement to contributors. And contributors to come. I seem so certain. Even sounding like I know what I’m talking about. And I do. I don’t necessarily practice what I say; I aspire to though.

There is something about making a long term commitment and doing ones best to keep on coming back, turning up, sitting down and following through. There seems to be a benefit. Who’s to say what that benefit is. Or who specifically benefits. And more importantly, just why are these questions asked at all?

That direction not to think of the audience might appear strange at first. However I find, when I let the pressure to post slip away (because that is there of course), that I’m often pleasantly surprised at just what slips out. A bit like catching oneself talking aloud, and finding it interesting! Talking to an audience and talking to oneself, in ones own head and on the page, does not use the same voice.

My days and weeks can take me away from here for far too long and I’m sorry about that. Returning is always a joy. Even if, when it comes to it, I’ve still little time to devote to the page. Thankyou for listening to me talking to myself – I do know you are out there. And who on earth talks to themselves thinking that somebody else would benefit! Bonkers.

Teachings

Teaching Is Everywhere

August 11, 2009 Mugo 3 Comments

Here is a final reflection from the school lessons – how much teaching there is all around the place.

Some of the students hadn’t really got the distinction between a Buddhist and a Buddha. This led to some interesting statements including:

Hey! I never knew there was a real life Buddha here in Cornwall.

How long have you been a Buddha?

and my favorite If I’m going to be anything, then I want to be a Buddha.

So, how to respond. Well, I could carefully try to point out the difference between a Buddha and the followers of the Buddha’s teachings; or I could use it as an opportunity to talk about how everything has the Buddha nature; or I could just enjoy the admittedly unintentional teaching. In fact I did a bit of all three and who knows if any of it made sense.

And it does seem as though there are times when teaching comes a bit like, found art. It doesn’t matter what the original intention was, words and phrases can resonate with something deeper and serve as a direct teaching to be cherished.

Overcome Difficulties, Teachings

Permeable Being

August 6, 2009 Mugo Leave a comment

Here is Brenda’s reflections on what she refers to as the permeable being.

I don’t know which came first, the sense that time isn’t consecutive or the understanding that there is vast space when ego-voice stops trying to run the show.

A couple or more months back I was stuck. You know the place, – that morass of doubts and resentments, where it is so easy to get bogged down. I heard in my head, You stand in your own shadow. Look inwards. To my shame my first response was irritation, a kind of I don’t know how, and even if I did, what use would it be, and then, to my surprise it became, albeit grudgingly, Alright then, I’ll try. Not exactly a whole hearted response but the Eternal is patient and somehow it freed things up.

In Rules for Meditation it says, Look inwards and advance directly along the road that leads to the Mind. At one level I understood what this was pointing to, but then there was the stubborn ego-me who tried to work out the how’s and why’s and wanted there to be a logical explanation, a kind of road map. It always seemed that the Inward space would be limited and when I tried Looking in a literal way it was like coming to a dead end. And then something remarkable occured. It was as if the questioning voice left and the ME that you and all the monks are talking to, guiding, – the Buddha-me I guess – could come into its’ own so to speak. Going inward just happened and I saw limitless space and I realised that there was no inside or outside. In a manner of speaking neither was there a me.

Given the unreliability of my memory I wrote the following as each thing showed itself so that I wouldn’t forget.

The “Space” outside and the “Space” inside is not different.
I do not have to go “outside” in order to move,
nor is going “inside” a not moving.
This being is permeable.
There is neither “Inside” nor “Outside”.
All is one.

Later I added the next bit. It kind of came up to be looked at. It feels OK but still, I’d like you to check it.

IT is not out there to be aimed for, reached for, searched for.
IT is already here, inside, waiting to be found.
I don’t attain IT, like a prize,
IT gives Itself freely, to all beings,
Including me.

With Bows,

In answer…I’ve not much to say to be honest. We have talked in person, you have taken Refuge, which is good. As with everything that comes, and especially insights into fundamental truths, it’s so important to just keep on a goin’. While at the same time, and this is especially important, not dismiss what comes to you as being the product of an over active imagination. So what does one do, what does anybody do with such insights? File away for a rainy day to get out and have beautiful memories? We both know that isn’t what’s good, of course. My advice is to just keep on going, and don’t look back. And when you do seem to, remember it is just the past coming into the present – to teach.

Jade Mountains Buddha Hall