Found wandering on a busy road today. She sleeps safely tonight. There is a story to tell, a touching one however that’s a story for another day since we do not know what the outcome will be. Enough to say a BIG thank you to all concerned who helped to make this a ‘wonderful rescue’. Never easy or straight forward to pick up a stray or abandoned dog on the road. We all did well.
A 2nd year short film project has captured my imagination. The film is called The Priest and the chap behind it is Mathew Herbertz. Here is a brief idea of what the film is about.
In a world where organized religion has become violently persecuted, an aged priest, Father McNalley, searches for a safe place to start a new church. After a long journey, the priest collapses on the doorstep of a family farm. The family takes the priest in for the night without knowing his true identity. Father McNalley must decide whether or not he should trust the family enough to let them know who he really is. Will the family help the old man continue his ministry or will they hold his faith against him?
Today is day one of Mathews fundraiser on Kickstarter. I particularly like that he has posted a short video saying thank you for pledges so far – his dog features in the video and does a great yawn too!
It’s rare for me to publicize something like this. I’m not soliciting funds or support although if anybody is moved to do so that’s great. It is more the wish on my part to support this young man just starting out on his film making life and the thoughtful subject he is tackling. Non of us know just how long Buddhism will be able to be practice peaceable here in the West.
Good fortune Mathew and crew. I hope this short post helps spread the word for you and this project.
The other evening several of the monks and many lay members attended a small art show in Yreka titled Women Who Know Alaska. One of the women is a regular attendee here at Shasta Abbey. We went to support her and her artistic endeavours.
After a fairly brisk look at the art on the walls I chatted sociably and then sat with an elderly woman on a window seat, the town of Yreka behind us. After the preliminaries, What’s with the hair thing? and Brown and purple, nice colour combination! we settled to chat. Story or in this case autobiography tumbled from her lips. The abridged version. I was not a passive listener, Oh yes, and how did you learn to walk again after the accident? and having been invited to feel the metal in her reconstructed knee, Yes the metal is close to the surface! Her lived-in face and hands spoke volumes, as did she.
The whole room was redolent with memory, animated memories through the art works, the people and specifically the elderly woman. It was as though all was animated wallpaper; to appreciate, enjoy and wonder at. To engage with wholeheartedly and without reservation. And silently, out of sight, is the knowing-without-knowing. Knowing the story, the multi-faceted, multi-coloured and textured surfaces in the room were fundamentally as passing smoke in blue sky or rocks and pebbles in clear running water. AND. And this is the wonder of engaging anywhere at any time, that the knowing-without-knowing is known through the animated wallpaper of events and circumstances of living.
For anybody who might be wondering the above is simply a creative way of talking about meditation in daily living. And, in particular, affirming that daily life isn’t the poor relative of *formal meditation.
*The word formal was added into this post on 30th October for clarification.
I met a lay guest on the cloister after lunch today. I’d recently picked her up from the Greyhound bus stop. We know each other well of old. Ah, hello Rev. Helen she said brightly! The Reverend Helen and I are quite often mistaken for each other. No. It’s Mugo, I respond. With a bit of a laugh about mistaken identity we chatted on about this and that as she made her way (ever-so-slowly with the aid of a walking stick) up the cloister towards the Guesthouse. Eventually the conversation drifted to matters of Buddhist practice. I know Buddha is everywhere. So why do I have to keep on coming back here? she said. Such a soft kind 80 plus face with tears and a smile at the same time. Thinking on my feet I responded, Well, when you had a car you took it in to get the oil changed and the tires checked and have a general service. Right? Same for you coming here isn’t it? I didn’t need to say much more since she got the analogy. Smiling happily, assured her coming and staying at the monastery was not a sign of weakness or faulty faith she slipped into the building. Hopefully for a nap.
This is a .jpg (photograph). To render it readable/larger press CTRL + (Mac users do something different…)
This article is from a British in-house (Sainsburys) magazine. A hat tip to the monk who passed this article onto a layman, who posted it on Facebook. Isn’t it wonderful that interesting articles such as this one can be passed around the world for others to read and appreciate. And so very quickly too. Yes, hat tips all round.
And OF COURSE a hat tip to Fiona Gibson who wrote about her experience of being on retreat at Thossel Hole Buddhist Abbey.
Added after publication: Oh red faced am I! Turns out the Sainsburys Magazine is a pay-for one and the above is a copy from the magazine. I hope my linking to this site will bring in subscribers and also viewers to their recipe packed website. Yes, hat tips all round. All the same I acknowledge that I’ve not followed ‘best practice’ in publishing this article.