We have just enjoyed a Sangha weekend retreat in a luxurious barn conversion tucked away on the North York Moors. We had a very simple weekend, cooking together and sharing meals, meditating together and sharing mindfulness, walking together and enjoying the gorgeous scenery and a beautiful clear sky, which revealed an outstanding Milky Way! We also discussed Buddhism and ecology, using Thay's Intimate conversations with Mother Earth http://deerparkmonastery.org/download/intimate-conversations-with-mother-earth/view as a basis for examining how we behave as ecologists, what more we can do and what we can do as a Sangha. I found it very heartening to realise, especially as a Sangha, there is a lot we do, whether it is sharing harvest from our gardens, recycling, sharing information about co-operatives and other ventures, or just sharing teabags! We are very fortunate.
Here are my reflections from the weekend.
Open-hearted.
Arms wide open.
Receiving all,
good, bad and indifferent.
Accepting all,
no judgement, criticism or condemnation.
Rejecting none,
generous, compassionate and loving.
Smiling to life,
welcoming, grateful and free from fear.
May I be blessed to be so open-hearted.
May I look with the eyes of compassion.
May I hear with the ears of equanimity.
May I receive all with loving-kindness.
May all be happy, peaceful and safe.
© 22 September 2012
Monday, 24 September 2012
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Welcome Autumn
Welcome autumn!
Dripping wetness from the trees,
leaves just about holding onto greenness
with the expectation of a
glorious blaze of colour yet to come.
Surprising sunny days,
reminiscent of summer,
but a chill in the air
evoking
log fires,
thick jumpers,
and comfort food
hearty soups and sticky toffee pudding.
Darkening evenings and sparkling clear nights
and the faint promise of
cosy winter evenings tucked up in a quilt,
Bonfire night
and Christmas.
Wondering if it will snow.
© 20 September 2012
Dripping wetness from the trees,
leaves just about holding onto greenness
with the expectation of a
glorious blaze of colour yet to come.
Surprising sunny days,
reminiscent of summer,
but a chill in the air
evoking
log fires,
thick jumpers,
and comfort food
hearty soups and sticky toffee pudding.
Darkening evenings and sparkling clear nights
and the faint promise of
cosy winter evenings tucked up in a quilt,
Bonfire night
and Christmas.
Wondering if it will snow.
© 20 September 2012
Thursday, 13 September 2012
A Homage to Thay
Breathing in, I am aware of a busy mind.
Breathing out, I let the breath blow through the thoughts.
Breathing in, I recognise a mind full of thoughts.
Breathing out, I let recognition give space to the thoughts.
Breathing in, I accept a busy mind.
Breathing out, I let acceptance reveal the thoughts for what they are.
Breathing in, I smile to the jumble of thoughts.
Breathing out, I let the smile dance through the thoughts.
Breathing in, I watch the mind settle, like a glass of juice.
Breathing out, I accept the settling mind.
Breathing in, I am aware of the present moment.
Breathing out, I dwell happily in the present moment.
© 13 September 2012
Breathing out, I let the breath blow through the thoughts.
Breathing in, I recognise a mind full of thoughts.
Breathing out, I let recognition give space to the thoughts.
Breathing in, I accept a busy mind.
Breathing out, I let acceptance reveal the thoughts for what they are.
Breathing in, I smile to the jumble of thoughts.
Breathing out, I let the smile dance through the thoughts.
Breathing in, I watch the mind settle, like a glass of juice.
Breathing out, I accept the settling mind.
Breathing in, I am aware of the present moment.
Breathing out, I dwell happily in the present moment.
© 13 September 2012
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Rescued by Thich Nhat Hanh
A roller-coaster ride of a day.
I have received feedback that
violently hurled me from
where I thought I was
into a maelstrom of
uncertainty, doubt and despair.
Trying to recover my footing
I vacillate between
'I can't do this'
'it's not as bad as it seems' and
'everything will be ok'.
Moment by moment I hop
from one thought to the next
like a fidgety flea that cannot settle.
What can I do to recover peace?
Breathe,
and accept the uncertainty.
Easy to say,
harder to practice.
I struggle on through,
step by step,
trying to come to terms
with this new situation.
I talk with a friend
who is reassuring and calm.
I acknowledge hiding my head in sand
will not solve the problem.
The mindfulness app on my phone sounds,
providing a breathing space.
I smile gratefully at the inanimate object
for reminding me there is more than just thoughts.
And then I read,
'If we do not have peace and joy right now,
when will we have peace and joy -
tomorrow, or after tomorrow?
What is preventing us from being happy
right now?'
And I breathe deeply
and smile at my foolishness,
in believing the thoughts.
© 5 September 2012
I have received feedback that
violently hurled me from
where I thought I was
into a maelstrom of
uncertainty, doubt and despair.
Trying to recover my footing
I vacillate between
'I can't do this'
'it's not as bad as it seems' and
'everything will be ok'.
Moment by moment I hop
from one thought to the next
like a fidgety flea that cannot settle.
What can I do to recover peace?
Breathe,
and accept the uncertainty.
Easy to say,
harder to practice.
I struggle on through,
step by step,
trying to come to terms
with this new situation.
I talk with a friend
who is reassuring and calm.
I acknowledge hiding my head in sand
will not solve the problem.
The mindfulness app on my phone sounds,
providing a breathing space.
I smile gratefully at the inanimate object
for reminding me there is more than just thoughts.
And then I read,
'If we do not have peace and joy right now,
when will we have peace and joy -
tomorrow, or after tomorrow?
What is preventing us from being happy
right now?'
And I breathe deeply
and smile at my foolishness,
in believing the thoughts.
© 5 September 2012
Sunday, 2 September 2012
My own personal Buddha
Walking back to the car
head full of meandering thoughts,
flitting butterfly-like from
one notion to the next.
Head buried in a hood to
keep out the blustery wind.
And then I see you,
my own personal Buddha,
standing on the street-corner
smiling beatifically
and offering a bearlike hug of greeting.
We exchange pleasantries and move on,
but this meeting is more than
a brief conversation.
Your smile reminds me to notice
the sun is shining,
there is more than wind
and it has stopped raining.
I was there and you were there
my own personal Buddha,
to remind me to see the beauty
present in that sunny, blustery autumnal evening.
© 2 September 2012
head full of meandering thoughts,
flitting butterfly-like from
one notion to the next.
Head buried in a hood to
keep out the blustery wind.
And then I see you,
my own personal Buddha,
standing on the street-corner
smiling beatifically
and offering a bearlike hug of greeting.
We exchange pleasantries and move on,
but this meeting is more than
a brief conversation.
Your smile reminds me to notice
the sun is shining,
there is more than wind
and it has stopped raining.
I was there and you were there
my own personal Buddha,
to remind me to see the beauty
present in that sunny, blustery autumnal evening.
© 2 September 2012
Monday, 20 August 2012
Loving kindness
I have just been practising a loving kindness meditation this morning. There are several versions of it, but they all go roughly the same way, in that you begin by offering loving kindness to yourself, then to a loved one, then to someone who you are neutral about (i.e. you know as an acquaintance but not well), then to someone you are having difficulties with and finally to everyone, everything, everywhere in the universe.
As I practised this last step I recognised a thought that said, 'who am I to be able to offer loving kindness and peace to the world?' and the very clear response was, 'because you are part of the universe'. That is all. You don't have to be a guru or someone who has spent years devoted to meditation to be able to offer loving kindness to the world, it is a natural consequence of being a part of that world, a sign of being interconnected. This has always puzzled me. Although on a theoretical level I understand and appreciate interbeing it always seemed somewhat beyond reach, again as if you have to have been practising for many years to really understand what interbeing is, that each and every particle in the universe, whether it forms a flower, or an animal or a human, is the same. But this is trying to understand it at the level of theory, not knowledge through practice. And this morning, there it was, the recognition that I am a part of the universe, and as such I can offer loving kindness to that universe, and it will have an effect. Wow! What a beautiful realisation to have first thing in the morning :)
As I say, there are several different versions of loving kindness. The one I have been using is from an ancient Sanskrit prayer and it goes like this.
May all be happy,
may all be free from disease,
may all creatures have well-being
and none be in misery of any sort.
May peace and peace and peace be everywhere.
And I see that peace, not as a general fluffy kind of 'hey, let's have peace in the world', ignoring that there is a lot of suffering going on. I see it as the peace in an individual's heart, also called contentment or acceptance, of whatever situation we find ourselves in. The peace that is non-judgemental and kind and compassionate, especially to ourselves. May peace and peace and peace be everywhere, especially in your own heart.
As I practised this last step I recognised a thought that said, 'who am I to be able to offer loving kindness and peace to the world?' and the very clear response was, 'because you are part of the universe'. That is all. You don't have to be a guru or someone who has spent years devoted to meditation to be able to offer loving kindness to the world, it is a natural consequence of being a part of that world, a sign of being interconnected. This has always puzzled me. Although on a theoretical level I understand and appreciate interbeing it always seemed somewhat beyond reach, again as if you have to have been practising for many years to really understand what interbeing is, that each and every particle in the universe, whether it forms a flower, or an animal or a human, is the same. But this is trying to understand it at the level of theory, not knowledge through practice. And this morning, there it was, the recognition that I am a part of the universe, and as such I can offer loving kindness to that universe, and it will have an effect. Wow! What a beautiful realisation to have first thing in the morning :)
As I say, there are several different versions of loving kindness. The one I have been using is from an ancient Sanskrit prayer and it goes like this.
May all be happy,
may all be free from disease,
may all creatures have well-being
and none be in misery of any sort.
May peace and peace and peace be everywhere.
And I see that peace, not as a general fluffy kind of 'hey, let's have peace in the world', ignoring that there is a lot of suffering going on. I see it as the peace in an individual's heart, also called contentment or acceptance, of whatever situation we find ourselves in. The peace that is non-judgemental and kind and compassionate, especially to ourselves. May peace and peace and peace be everywhere, especially in your own heart.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
"A Banquet of Peace" - Thich Nhat Hanh
Recently in our Sangha we had an opportunity to practice walking meditation in the garden, and the facilitator read a piece from Thay's book 'The Long Road Turns to Joy', which invites us to enjoy a banquet of peace, nourishing our body and spirit as we walk. Here's what I wrote afterwards.
A Banquet of Peace.
the pale pastel of lacecap by the back door,
concrete flags warmed by a day of sunshine,
birds that fly away as I enter the courtyard,
and sit chattering in a nearby tree,
the coolness of freshly mown grass,
the vibrancy of summer flowers
a conversation of voices,
distant traffic and
the tinkle of an ice-cream van,
and lots of birds, invisible
to the eye but chirping audibly,
a pale blue sky deckled with white clouds,
and the glimmer of a sliver of new moon,
sounds dampened in the encroaching summer twilight,
a banquet of peace in the garden.
© 7 August 2012
A Banquet of Peace.
the pale pastel of lacecap by the back door,
concrete flags warmed by a day of sunshine,
birds that fly away as I enter the courtyard,
and sit chattering in a nearby tree,
the coolness of freshly mown grass,
the vibrancy of summer flowers
a conversation of voices,
distant traffic and
the tinkle of an ice-cream van,
and lots of birds, invisible
to the eye but chirping audibly,
a pale blue sky deckled with white clouds,
and the glimmer of a sliver of new moon,
sounds dampened in the encroaching summer twilight,
a banquet of peace in the garden.
© 7 August 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)