Well Jademountains readers you must have noticed I’m involved with Field of Merit website and project. Hopefully my posting here will not suffer too much.
I have a couple of beach photographs from the trip Rev. Alicia and I took to west Wales lurking in the wings which I’m quite pleased with and thought to share them. They connect with Words of Wisdom, our most recent News post on Field of Merit.
And some recumbent Welsh cows for good measure.
I have been driving all day from Throssel up to Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a picture up here. The heather is bright purple at the moment. I’ll hold a bunch in my mind for the chap who died here earlier in the week. All merit to his wife and all who know and love him.
Ushnishasitatapatral Bodhisattva who represents the canopy of white light that emanates from the Buddha’s head in the creation of the Surangama Mandala
The Buddha said to Ananda,
‘I will now raise for all of you
a Great Dharma-banner
so that all beings
in all directions
can gain access to
what is wondrous,
subtle and hidden –
the pure and luminous Mind
that understands –
and so that they can open
their clear seeing eyes.’
The Surangama Sutra
This is especially for those who care for their eyes and who aspire to the clear seeing eyes pointed to in this extract from the Surangama Sutra. As we know there is more to seeing than meets the physical eye!
And for those of you who find this kind of devotional thing a bit of a challenge. Don’t worry yourself. Open your heart and the light will come in. You might try adding that valuable little word intend to that last sentence. Intend to open your heart and the light will come in.
I have just spent a great few days in Nottingham visiting with a couple who are part of this vast network called the Buddhist sangha. On many levels we know each other connecting through interests in common and shared history. Yes, and shared sense of humour too. But talking this evening we touched on that more subtle level of interconnection. The spiritually level, the spiritual merit level if you like. There is nothing substantial that can be measured or easily talked about without massive leaps of faith being required.
then yellow and purple together.
My thought right now is that when two or more people come together with shared intention, to sit and meditate, to act in harmony with the Buddhist Precepts, to work or play together good flows and all benefit without discrimination. A good that is greater than the sum of the parts. I’d also say it is a power to a good which is beyond ideas of good and bad in the ordinary way we conceive of those words.
So I will leave it there for you to ponder on. And with thanks to my two wonderful hosts – we had some good walks and many good talks and we all moved together. Onwards. And for me onwards to west Wales – off grid. Posts will resume next Wednesday.
How was the night in the hut? I was asked by PA in the comments to the last post. It was hut like I’d say. And as many readers know I tend to gravitate towards huts. Traditional huts. Wooden huts. Four walls and a roof huts. And preferably with a porch. But there are other types of dwellings suitable for secluding oneself with the intention of looking within. Contemplating.
This evening I was introduced to a completely new, to me, type of dwelling. The generic name being earth ships. At first glance they look good. Perhaps reminding me of happy hours as a youngster digging holes in the bottom of our garden. I’d cover them with tin and earth and then…sit in the dank darkness!
Practice Within The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives
