That’s what my diary told me today was going to be. A Free Day! And it has been a free day, a freewheeling kind of day. Ending now with the Jade blank page which I’ve not been filling for the last few days. Sorry about that.
Sunday found me with a group in Hebden Bridge for a day of sitting together. I’m not sure what happened to time though. The day seemed so spacious with more sittings and gathering times than there would normally be on a day retreat. There even seemed to be time to spare. Anyway….
There was an altar in the room where we sat. And as is customary there was a vase with flowers. They were three daffodils. A bud. An opening bud. A fully opened blossom. Showing the step-by-step, unfolding, aspect of practice within sequential time, simultaneously with the all-together aspect. The not bound by time. Perhaps it was the teaching of the flowers that had the day so oddly spacious. Anyway…..
On the altar, as well as the flowers there was a Buddha image. I remember it was white/cream and highly detailed. Earlier in the day this image came in an email. Hojyo Taashi is a well known paper folder and I hope she or he will not mind me publishing this image. It has to be the very best example of this Origami project. I wish I could say I’d be folding one of these on my next free day, but I’ll most likely be doing what I did today. Free wheeling. Anyway……
Origami Buddha on a lotus by Hojyo Takashi
You can download previously published articles on Home Altars on the Obc Journal website.
Thanks to those who made Sunday a memorable one. Thank you for your generosity.
The instructions for folding the origami Buddha can be found here:-
http://www.filestube.com/h/hojyo+takashi+origami
To visit his website then go here:-
http://origami.gr.jp/~hojyo/index.htm
Thanks Ian, I saw instructions in Japanese so this link is great. As is the other one.
Just a note to say ‘Hi’ Rev Mugo and I’m enjoying the posts even if I’ve not commented.
In gassho, Kevin
Wow! That is one impressive piece of origami!
I loved that idea you introduced Mugo that within each of us is a bud, a half opened flower and a fully opened flower (maybe a wilted one too?). Looking at the three flowers at the retreat was inspirational after that. So the next day I bought some daffodils in Brighton and made them the centrepiece of our mindfulness and emotional wellbeing training day. Somebody had lots of squidgy (stress ball ) hearts which got distributed so we reclaimed the heart on Valentines day – so it meant more than just romance. Thank you for your guidance.
now I have the paper to make it with….
Thanks for the wave Kevin.
Yes, glad the daffs worked as teaching. It was a good day we had together.