Category Archives: Teachings

Out and About, Teachings

Direct Encounter – Direct Response

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On Monday I drove to Newcastle Airport to pick up a monk returning from America. Walking through the wide open space in front of the check-in counters a man stopped me and started talking. He hardly drew breath. He was giving a pitch. Raising money for Shelter, the charity for the homeless. I had the option to cut him off and make a run for the toilets. Which is where I needed to be! But I didn’t. I listened. For no reason, I continued to listen knowing I’d not be donating. As he went on the content was fading into the background of my awareness as my admiration grew for this chap. Eventually I drew breath. He thought I was about to exit. Yes, I know you are busy. Just need to tell you a bit more… I responded thoughtfully, Well to be honest I’m just so impressed at your ability to keep on talking! That’s no small skill and what you are doing here must be really hard. Probably demoralising too. Said just what came to mind. Soon afterwords with his words Just five pounds… and my, sorry I’m a Buddhist monastic and don’t receive a wage (excuse?) echoing in my mind, I beat a retreated.

I love airports. Love all that open space, and the shops too. Since it was early and I’d not eaten yet, I had a treat at Starbucks. A muffin and small drink for breakfast. Now alert; watching out for flight arrivals, watching shoals of passengers flooding into the concourse with their luggage. All the while looking out for my arriving passenger. Enjoying my breakfast, while thinking about that five pounds and contemplating going back to offer it. I’ve that much with me and a bit more.

Out the corner of my eye as I finish breakfast I spot the man just feet away from me. He’s talking. I wait until he stops. Can you take change for a ten pound note? I call to him. Turns out he can’t take cash. Too bad. More ensued about donating on-line but he seems to be abandoning his pitch… Engaging me in conversation. Taking an interest. Is it like spiritual what you do in the monastery? We talk and in the end I gave him the address of the Throssel web site and this blog written on the paper bag the muffin came in. I told him, his name was/is Chris, that if there is one thing to come out of our conversation it’s to get some cards printed. I’m always writing address on scrappy bits of paper. But cards seems…well pretentious somehow.

It’s the subtexts I’m particularly interested in. The subtext of this encounter and encounters generally. And the non stereotypical response, mine and his. There’s the words people say. That’s one thing. But there is much much more, to any encounter, who ever is talking and who ever is listening. What is interesting to me, and the challenge, is to take in the whole picture while at the same time allowing the parts to come and go in awareness. That’s to stay with the detail long enough to be able to respond to the whole. To respond past ones preconceived ideas and prejudices. This can happen at work, at the dinner table, in the street even when reading this blog. Nothing special really.

Hum! And when I really think about it I’m really relying on you reading past the text. Not using that little old trick of reading between the lines which really means adding in ones opinions and preconceived ideas. No not that. Please! Reading past the text is to encounter yourself while you read, and to encounter the writer too. Directly.

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Out and About, Overcome Difficulties, Teachings

Learning From Experience

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I was driving a friend of my wife’s to a hospital fifty miles away. It was a thunder, lightning and rain Summer’s night. At one point I had to almost go off road to get around a large tree that had blown down on to the road. After a few more miles I suddenly saw two cows next to my window and then saw a bunch of them ahead of me. I slammed on the brakes and to my horror we plowed right into a group of them, a dozen or so filled the road way. I felt an impact and the hood of my truck folded up into a tent shape and all I could see was a calf walking toward the edge of the road dragging a broken leg.

Contemplative Spaces post: Driving

Contemplative Spaces, with ace content, is a relative new blog written by a chap I know through my work within the OBC. He lives in rural Washington State with his wife. From time to time Helmut has agreed to make a guest appearance here on Jade.

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Daily Life, Information, Teachings

Giving Expression

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Behind the scenes much has been happening. Emails back and forth. Phone calls. Words of encouragement and some cajoling too. Fingers have been typing, minds have been exercised. Hearts are opening like flowers.

Very soon there will be a tab under the banner image which will read Contributors. Click on that and you will meet people, initially two and later more, who I have asked to write for Jade.

This is an experiment, I’ve been told Jade is an experiment. An exploration would suite better.

We say that in the beginning one trains for ones own benefit, later for the benefit of others. Later training is seen to be for both self and other.

In truth, however, in the beginning, middle and end there is just training. Could that be the exploration, the lively active encounter? Endless and without edges? There is a saying: Enlightened action leaves no wake. and There is no doer who does the deed nor one who reaps the fruit. And still there is the every present matter of action, responding, giving expression.

Thank you contributors. This development is an expression of Refuge. Refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Treasures all.

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Overcome Difficulties, Teachings

Keeping Honest

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I’ve been talking to somebody recently who is caught up in a tricky situation, which is being played out rather publicly. Names and reputations, good ones, are being chewed on, dragged around and generally besmirched. Sad business. (Incidentally this is not in the world of party politics in case anybody was wondering.) There is no way anybody will come out squeaky clean. More arguments and counter arguments will only create more soap bubbles. What is the way through in this sort of situation? To defend oneself, to ignore the inevitable inner disquiet that soap opera produces? Do nothing ’till the storm blows over? Or, like the Manchester hermit in his blog today, apologise. One can at the very least apologise for ones own part in the creation of soap. Or ones part in inadvertently causing hurt to those concerned. As a meditator and one who has Precepts it’s really hard to purposefully, and consistently, create harm. Intention is the touch stone. Touching it regularly keeps one humble, and honest.

I felt a deep regret while meditating this morning so I thought I should say something. I take it as a sign of progress. It’s a funny thing, meditation. Very difficult to know if you’re doing it right. It’s very simple but also extremely difficult. The job is to try and stay with the truth, but I’m so beset by delusions and confusions that it’s often difficult to know if I’ve taken a wrong turn. The only way to really measure oneself is by an increase in loving feelings. This is a sign that my habitual self-centredness must be dissolving slightly and I can start to see things from other points of view.

It’s not something you can create or fake either. If you get on with the main work of patient observation diligently, it just seems to happen by itself that a spring of generous thoughts begins to seep through the ground. It’s very easy to be sitting there daydreaming, or circling round and round selfish or delusional ideas – and I’ve done that. The only way to know if you’re on the right path is if spontaneous kindness starts to break through. Makes you feel happy. Which in my experience makes it quite likely that crabby and irritable is just round the corner…

from An Apology – by The Manchester Hermit.

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Teachings

The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel – Dharma Talk

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The image of the jewel is used in Mahayana Buddhism to illustrate different aspects of our relationship to the Truth. Rev. Berwyn explores some of these facets, showing how, through the practice of meditation, we can come to clarify and fulfil our true wish. We can come to realise that the jewel is found right where we are now, in the circumstances of our lives, and that we do not need to look outside of ourselves for the Truth. By accepting the Truth as it is right now, we can come to know that this is enough and that the treasure house is constantly opening before us.

Find this talk on the Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey site – here.

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