Here are my hosts of the last two days moving towards Chichester Cathedral.
We walked around the old walls of Chichester this morning. There’s Greyfriers where William Blake was tried for….? Following the thread of interest (and curiosity) Wikipedia gave us the answer.
He (William Blake) rejected all forms of imposed authority; indeed, he was charged with assault and uttering seditious and treasonable expressions against the King in 1803, though he later was cleared in the Chichesterassizes of the charges. The charges were brought by a soldier called John Schofield after Blake had bodily removed him from his garden, allegedly exclaiming, “Damn the king. The soldiers are all slaves.”[17] According to a report in the Sussex county paper, “The invented character of [the evidence] was … so obvious that an acquittal resulted.”[18] Schofield was later depicted wearing “mind forged manacles” in an illustration to Jerusalem.[19] Wikipedia entry for William Blake.
Blake lived in Sussex as do my hosts. At the renewal of their marriage vows they had the following piece of Blake read out. After some research we found the quote is from J.B.Priestly’s *Time and the Conways and not Auguries of Innocence.
Every night and every morn Some to misery are born; Every morn and every night; Some are born to sweet delight; Some are born to sweet delight; Some are born to endless night. Joy and woe are woven fine, A clothing for the soul divine; Under every grief and pine Runs a joy with silken twine. It is right it should be so: Man was made for joy and woe; And when this we rightly know Safely through the world we go.
The play (Time and the Conways)emerged out of Priestley’s reading of J. W. Dunne’s book An Experiment with Time in which Dunne posits that all Time is happening simultaneously ie that past, present, future are one and that linear Time is only the way in which human consciousness is able to perceive this.
Nothing like following a thread of thought and interest leading back to here and now. I think this post is about creativity.
Whoops! It is time for me to leave Reading Buddhist Priory and be on my way further south. There is not much more south to England and after that there is an island just off the south coast. That’s where I’ll be, the Isle of Wight, for most of March with the intention of resting before flying to North America in late April or early May.
My thought today is about balance, balance in all matters. Balance matters.
Thanks to the blog reader who just walked into the priory with a card and a dana offering. I’ve been talking about your blog this week-end during the retreat! he said.
In this moment there is nothing which comes to be. In this moment there is nothing which ceases to be. Thus, in this moment there is no birth and death to be brought to an end. Thus, there is absolute peace in this present moment, Although it is just this moment, there is not limit to this moment. And herein is eternal delight. Hui Neng
Sitting and working in the priors office at Reading Buddhist Priory near London. It is getting late, I’m attempting to catch up on a weeks worth of unanswered emails. This quote popped out at me from her notice board earlier in the day. Now it can be on yours.
The photograph? Taken in the Chilterns north of Reading on Friday.
I’ve cast my vote, my choice for Canada Reads is Icefields by Thomas Wharton. Tom writes the blog The Logogryph which has Buddhist content I’ve linked to in the past. I support both the book and the author.
As for the nomination mentioned a couple of days ago. It went to the late Michael of One Foot in Front of the Other. The poem Fatigue was recommended to me by a sangha friend.
Progress with the new Jademountains site is going ahead apace. It will however take me some time to learn how to ‘drive’ the new behind-the-scenes machinery. Nothing is hurting for Jade being off-line so there is no rush to open up the doors before all is ready.
Being away from the monastery and my usual daily schedule provides me with an opportunity to contemplate the direction I’d like to take in terms of my on-line activities. It’s likely I’ll continue to write chat-over-a-cup-of-tea style and perhaps there will be more overt Buddhist teaching as well.
Now traveling down through England on the east coast line. Somehow I’ve been seated in the First Class section of the train and nobody wants to move me. Tea madam? I’m asked. Yes, with milk please, I reply. How much will that be? Oh that’s complimentary, as is the Wifi connection to the Internet. Uh! here comes the tea trolley again.
Thinking about it the nomination of Movingmountains for an ‘award’, as mentioned yesterday, is complimentary in the other meaning of the word. Not something to get all worked up about of course however it is helpful to know the Buddhist blogger community thinks what is written here is worth looking at.
Practice Within The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives
Here are my hosts of the last two days moving towards Chichester Cathedral.
Photographer unknown, great picture.
