Drawing and text just had to be seen by more people. It was found here to-day by a loyal reader, thank you. It will be gone tomorrow though!
My first ‘loved one’ to die was Joe, a parakeet, and I would not have been able to spell that either! A child’s first encounter with impermanence is often through the death of a close critter. Perhaps this is one of the good reasons for children to have ‘pets’ to take care of? I love how this child can mix up time and come up with a good image in the present past…
Finally here is a link to a thoughtful posting on the inevitable march of time.
More good photographs like this one from Gly Young, Richmond BC, Canada.
A good friend who, until recently, ran a kindergarten in her home sent me this letter. Here is yet another example of creature compassion.
Hi Rev. Master Mugo,
I seem to be doing pretty well. Thanks for your last email and your comments about transferring merit. They were helpful. I guess I don’t think about transferring merit too much (maybe I should). The kids come back soon, and I’m just about ready for them. I’ve had a chance to do some deep cleaning and clearing out, and it feels better around here.
The fish story was kind of interesting to me. It happened just before school was out for the holidays last December. One of the 2-yr.-old siblings of one of my kids poured a full can of fish food into the tank. The can was a little bigger than a coke can. I’ll spare you the story of getting new filtered water, cleaning and re-filling the tank at 11:00pm. But by the time I got the three fish back into the clean water they were all deeply gasping for air. The two white ones recovered after about 30 min., but the big orange one was still lying on his side gasping and starting to curl up. As healthy fish they would frequently chase each other around the tank, and I wasn’t sure if they particularly liked each other, or how they viewed each other. But this night I watched and sat with them for about two hours and they kind of amazed me. The two white ones, who had already recovered, got on both sides of the orange one and held him upright and stayed with him, holding him for about 30 to 45 minutes. They never left him, until suddenly he seemed to have caught his breath and he took off. I was really happy for them and have felt a lot closer to them since we went through that night together.
Even though they “seemed” to be pretty independent from each other during their everyday life, when the chips were down they pulled together. Come to think of it, maybe that’s kind of like transferring merit. Don’t know for sure.
Now, what exactly is it about complaining that is so infectious? Before you know it, if you’re around people who complain, you become part of a collective dis-ease. We all know that attitudes rub off on others and that the consequences of ones words and actions spread, for good or for ill. When I give meditation instruction I’ll mention that a consequence of meditation and Preceptual living is that some friends fade away and new ones appear. Obviously, if you hang out with people who are deluded or ignorant about the Truth of karmic consequences you’ll end up hurting; along with everybody else.
A company in Germany, reported on the BBC News, has adopted a radical approach to habitual complaining among its staff. It’s become a sackable offence! At first this might seem like an uncompassionate approach however on closer examination, maybe not. Just one person, a chronic complainer, had to be let go and the instruction for people who wake up on the wrong side of the bed is: “stay at home”! Apparently the company and staff are flourishing within the positive climate this change of policy has brought about.
There is a Dharma Talk by Rev. Master Koshin on the North Cascades Buddhist Priory web site that you might want to listen to.
I’ve just been watching the film, ‘March of the Penguins’ and everything about the Emperor Penguin is educational, and they are entertaining too. The life of these amazing creatures is geared around; staying alive on Artic ice, surviving harsh conditions as a community, hatching their eggs and then getting everybody back to open water again. Once the chicks are big and bold enough to swim, the parents leave!
I particularly liked how they have adapted their social habits to keep warm out there on the Artic ice. To better fight against the cold of the Austral winter, the emperor penguins have adopted social behavior patterns which allow them to save a lot of energy. The most striking adaptation is the huddle formation in which the individuals huddle against each other and form a very dense group. Only their backs are exposed to the wind, and they take turns so that the ones at the edge of the huddle formation gradually move towards the center where they will be more protected for a while, until they find themselves out on the edge again. Text from the Warner Brothers official web site.
If there is a child in the house, or if there is not, you might want to go and test your ability to Save the Egg.
Native American wisdom has it that we humans can learn from the ways of creatures.
For breakfast I eat oatmeal, otherwise know as porridge by the European/Briton. When somebody pointed me to her Flickr on line photo album and this photo I became curious. Well I just had to give Optimum Zen a try! It is an OK cereal and I eat it as a special treat on Sunday. I’m a creature of habit though and am glad to be back to the oatmeal/porridge on Monday. It’s made and distributed in Canada so all of you out there in Japan, Sweden, Britain, U.S.A., Spain, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Bulgaria, South America and Lithuania; sorry. And for those of you who have a dishwasher, this is how they really work!
Anybody, lay or monastic, who has spent time in one of our monasteries or a priory will know about ‘kitchen clean-up’. It is perhaps the major communal activity of the day, apart from formal meditation, and a powerful training ground for mindfulness and patience. The memory of my mischievously passing a wet mop over bare sandled feet just came to mind! Playfulness is part of practice too.
Many thanks for these two photographs. I know who sent the second one, the original source is unknown to me.
