Take care not to:
talk back rudely
argue
smile condescendingly at others’ words
use elegant expressions
My Precepts, from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Master Ryokan.
Pearls of Wisdom 3
Category Archives: Teachings
Pearls of Wisdom 2
Take care not to:
talk gratuitously
talk with your hands
talk about worldly affairs
My Precepts, from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Master Ryokan
Pearls of Wisdom 1
Take care not to:
talk too much
talk too fast
talk without being asked to
My Precepts from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Master Ryokan
An Answer
The following is an extract from a note I sent to a chap in answer to his comment/questions following the sudden death of his father.
Dear Friend,
The very best thing you can do to help your father now is to simply sit when you have the time, and to do your best to keep a bright and positive mind throughout your day. He will be in your heart and since ultimately there is no separation or dividing up of existence, your hearts are identical. If the relationship with him has been troublesome this doesn’t matter, let what ever is there be there without judgements.
You are right, we do not have a specific practice around death, or more correctly meditations focusing on the impermanence of the body. That all is fairly much covered in just sitting.
In terms of your own acceptance of his sudden death you will have to realize that there is a level of shock which will take time to work it’s way through.
As for what you can do at home now. You can put his photograph on your altar and perhaps put some kind of non perishable food/drink which he would have liked there too. You can recite one of the compassion scriptures daily and offer the merit of the recitation for his benefit.
The advice above is fairly standard however it does assume an understanding of the practice of meditation and the Buddhist Precepts.
Happy Birthday Buddha
My father would have been 87 today. Looking around my room I don’t see anything of his to remind me of him. But I do remember… There was my dad’a old belt and his knitted wool hat, which he wore on the back of his head on cold days. I always thought he could have done better, but he loved that hat and kept it to the last. There was his walking stick, probably cut from a hedge. It was rather a twiggy looking affair. It had a bright orange spent rifle cartridge rammed on the bottom to stop the stick from wearing down. Maybe there was some binder twine, picked up from a field, wrapped around the stick to strengthen it. He was a man in the country where function came first.
I’ve disposed of the old belt and hat, and the wool demob coat that followed us unrelentingly from one house to the next. I think he wrapped his saws in it. The stick? That now supports a tree by a lake in Cornwall, planted in his memory.
In Buddhism there are said to be three objects of reverence of a Buddha; the physical remains such as the ashes after cremation, a tooth or lock of hair, objects appertaining to personal use, such as tools, clothing etc. and lastly objects of reverence reminiscent of the Buddha. This last object has no physical basis it is simply what we remember, what we remember gladly. And I have a lot of those for my dad, my Buddha.
Many thanks to Christine whose comment left after the posting A Beacon of Hope inspired me to write this today. I’m sorry I missed your contribution and didn’t respond at the time.