I had a plan. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked. So here are random photographs, rather than organized ones. They were taken while visiting one of our temples in the Black Forest in Germany. It is good to be back on the blogging trail once again.

This was too hard to resist. Bad means bath, this is a spar town, with baths.

Black Forest Gateaux.

The autumn colours were at their height and the forest was easily accessible. I was able to amble in the afternoon sunshine.

Bad Teinach

In this part of the Black Forest there are small wooden huts everywhere. A hut fanciers paradise if ever there was one. This hut next door to the temple is in poor repair, most are immaculate.

I could not help but snap this wee beastie while out for the day on Monday, in Shrewsbury. Even upside down it is still smiling. Well, that’s what I see anyway.

Since it is count down time to leaving for the airport to fly to Germany I’ll just have to leave you with these two photographs.

Postings will more than likely stop now for the week. I’ll be back in England on the 1st November.

At the end of an up and down kind of a day, with little left in me to say, here is something from Iain in Japan for you to contemplate.

At times often rather trivial things have happened to me that have triggered waves of anger in me the force of which has sent me reeling. That angry little boy inside. “It isn’t fair and it has to be put right!” But of course nothing ever can be restored status quo ante, it just can’t, the thing is broken. That’s what crying is for. Memories of painful things

Back in 2005 I visited the Stupa in Birmingham where the Buddha’s Relics are enshrined. At the time I was somewhat sceptical, are they ‘real’ etc. Yesterday afternoon I joined a trip to Birmingham to visit The Heart Shrine Relics Tour. I’m glad I went.

Carmen Straight, our Custodian on the USA Tour, watched a five year old girl skipping around the relic altar display and peering curiously at the relics. Carmen asked her what she was doing. She replied,

“There are so many beautiful colors shining out from the relics and I am trying to remember them all.”

I’ve learnt how to he a good visitor, of Buddha Relics. Go with no expectations, no plan, let fears, worries and doubts fall by the way side. Be respectful and be still. And sit still, no need to do more unless called upon to do so. Not a bad plan for hospital visiting either, come to think of it.

He said, My brother is good at visiting now. He learnt how from seeing our father regularly after his stroke. At first he’d say, I don’t know what to do, or say. Don’t know if he is taking anything in or even understands me anymore.

I then said, Just sit there quietly if necessary. So my brother learnt how to visit. When he came to see me I was asleep, so he sat quietly in that chair. Then I woke up and we talked.

Hospital visiting: giving of oneself in seriousness, in sadness, in service, in silence, in the moment, in daftness and laughter. This evening I arrived heavy and left lighter. Arrived readied to give and left having shared.