“Sit like a mountain
Stand like a pine tree
Lay down like a bow
Walk like the wind”

Walking tonight in
still evening air
What bliss!
What good fortune!

The Four Postures, sitting, standing, walking and laying down are most often talked about in Buddhism in terms of meditation practice. As deeply significant as formal seated Zazen is (as well as paying attention when standing, walking and laying down), we need not limit ourselves. There is after all also bending, twisting, standing up and sitting down, turning and all the other complex movements we can sit still within….right? And move like the wind.

Thanks for the quote K.

Hammock: A hanging bed of canvas or rope netting (usually suspended between two trees); swings easily.

Yep, I spent three wonderful hours this afternoon at Eugene Priory swinging easily suspended between two trees, napping and contemplating. Then this evening a meeting with the good people who make this small temple possible. It is one of the few purpose built temples in our Order and largely built by the lay congregation. In fact I can’t think of another temple with a similar history at the moment. It’s set in a small woodland right at the edge of the city limits, bounded by three roads, minor roads. Quite the wild life sanctuary too – deer, chicken, cats + dense vegetation.

This is really for those who concern themselves about my well being. The message is, I’m learning to pace myself and isn’t that about maintaining a balance in ones day?

Nanki-Poo at peace
4th July. American Independence Day. Much flag waving going on all over the nation. And here in the monastery there is the Ceremony of the Fourth of July. We bow, we sing, we sing some more, bows again then offer the merit to all beings. I met somebody wondering aloud about a Buddhist ceremony to celebrate nationhood and whether or not she would be able to be join in. Hum? Well that had me thinking about people who are stateless. They don’t have a country, they officially don’t ‘belong’ anywhere. So I shared this thought and, well, it seemed I had a point. We are always offering gratitude to the Four Benefactors, one being the country one is able to practice peacefully within. So I sang along about peace in the land and similar sentiments. I missed that one of the invocations we sang was set to the music of the British national anthem!

Our country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee we sing;

Anyway, with the ceremony nearly over a very loud cat fight started up outside the hall. I caught the eye of the monk facing me who was stifling a giggle. I struggled to maintain my composure, with moderate success! One can not help but see the funny side. After the ceremony the Abbess greeted everybody and remarked in her lovely English accent; There may be peace in our land but there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of that in our garden!

What ever one might feel about ones nation, it’s actions and policies etc. One can at least be grateful for having a place of relative peace to practice.