Down To Earth

10 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Rice FlowersPlants, grass and trees cannot grow without soil. The ‘soil’ that fosters our growth includes our partners, parents, teachers, seniors, our mentor, community and company. In any case, everyone has some special place where they grew up, or someone who nurtured them.

Human beings grow as a result of this nurturing ‘soil’, in which they express their ability and make the flowers of their lives blossom, just as the spirit of the rice plant returns to the soil and the stem sprouts to flower and bear grain once again.

We should repay our debts of gratitude to this ‘soil’ in which we developed. This cycle of repaying gratitude will envelop our whole existence. Our true humanity will never blossom if we seek only to develop ourselves.

Forever Friends

09 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

BambooDetermined people of conviction, who stand alone, who pursue their chosen path. Not only are such people good and trustworthy friends themselves, but will also make genuine friends of others.

The bamboo groves of the autumn are gorgeous. Each bamboo tree stands independently, growing straight and tall towards the sky. Yet in the ground, way out of sight, their roots are interwoven and interconnected.

In the same way, true friendship is not a relationship based upon dependence, but one of individual independence. It is the enduring bond that connects self-reliant individuals, comrades who share the same commitment, on a spiritual plane.

Everyone’s A Winner

08 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Euro 2012So Euro 2012 is finally here and tonight’s games have lived up to all the hype and expectations. With the co-hosts Poland drawing 1-1 with Greece, I imagine the Poles are feeling a little down, letting a one goal and one man advantage slip in the second half.

Russia, on the other hand, must be buzzing, having beaten the Czech Republic 4-1. With more fancied teams playing over the next few days there will be winners and losers, but if the matches live up to the openers, football will be the real winner. But even the teams that come out of their opening games as losers can take heart if they look at the results in a slightly different way.

Daisaku Ikeda had this to say:

“Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.”

Going home with the shiny prize isn’t the only way you can win, again President Ikeda has pearls of Wisdom …

“It is not how you compare to others that is important, but rather how you compare to who you were yesterday. If you’ve advanced even one step, then you’ve achieved something great.”

So whatever kind of opening game your team has, you can look at things in several ways, and still come out of it as a winner.

A Time To Chant

07 Jun 2012 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Poison Into MedicineFollowing the trauma of Bumble’s injured ankle, we were hoping that life would settle back to the comfort of normality. Sadly that hasn’t been the case, as Ivor, B’s father has again been admitted to hospital today. Given that his health has never been too good, following a major motorcycling accident many years ago, this is obviously a worrying turn of events.

But as with all challenges in life, now is the time to chant ourselves hoarse and to look to, yet again, turn this poison into medicine. As on previous occasions, Ivor is in Frenchay hospital and is surrounded by the people best equipped to look after him. He is a tough character and will do his bit to get himself through all this.

B’s mum Jill is also a Nichiren Buddhist and I know she will be chanting for her husband. I will be giving my all too and praying for a good outcome to the situation. But every little helps, so if you have a spare moment, please chant and pray for Ivor too.

Many thanks in anticipation,

Anupadin

Back To Earth – No Bump

06 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Back To Earth - No BumpMeanwhile, back in Ringwood, the real world continues to turn. Having thoroughly enjoyed the Jubilee weekend, all four days of it, work was a pleasant and satisfying alternative today, rather surprisingly.

Of course, there was the usual mountain of email to be processed, but because I had been forced to take a long hard look at myself the other day, there was a greater feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment as the pile got gradually smaller and smaller.

The short sharp shock we sometimes need to wake us from our slumbers can be painful, but the resulting state of wakefulness is very invigorating and is ample reward for the bruised ego and dented pride.

Can You See What It Is Yet

05 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Can You See What It Is YetI’m not sure what it is about me and new things. My daughter was talking about my OCD tendencies the other day, things like not being able to shut the front door without checking that I have the keys, even though I know I have them about me. It had never even crossed my mind, but looking at things a little closer, I think she might be right.

Bumble and I decided to resurrect our love of watercolour painting recently, and when we saw a nice Windsor & Newton watercolour set yesterday, we bought it. It was only when we decided to have a dabble, that my OCD kicked in.

The pristine white box and the immaculate half pans of colour started to give me problems. I really wanted to paint, but had a real problem when it came to getting started. Initially, I unwrapped each colour, being careful to keep the wrapper intact, so I knew the name and pigment reference number for each one. I even carefully placed them in the order that they came out of the box, so I knew how they had been arranged.

Silly, as it turned out, because each plastic pan had the name and number carefully printed on it, so I managed to convince myself that the wrappers were superfluous and binned the lot. Then I realised that some of the colours were actually loose in the pan. What would happen if they got mixed up and the original order go lost? B suggested I take a photo, but even I thought that was taking it a bit far.

So we tore a page from the ring-binder pad of watercolour papers, again something that ripped at some very deeply ingrained feelings, but I got over that. We carefully taped the paper to our plywood sheets and went into the lounge to start painting. Then I hit a real stumbling block. How was I going to wet the colours, mix them on the palette, even christen a brush or two without affecting their pristine nature?

By this point, Bumble was already laying down a wash or two on her painting of the lounge and I was busying myself reading a book on painting techniques. She was getting on really well and totally ignoring the effect her painting was having on her paint box and brushes. I really had to get over this crazy feeling.

I made the first move, I plunged a brand new brush into the jam jar of crystal clear water. The bristles formed a beautiful clean edge and the universe continued to exist in its normal state. I gently stroked the brush over a dark blue paint pan and the indigo hue was drawn into the bristles, the world did not implode and everything appeared normal.

I mixed the colour on the palette, taking care not to pollute one colour with traces of another, and the feelings of dread gradually subsided. I moistened the paper and began my first wash, chasing the dark wet edge down the paper until it was done. A feeling of euphoria washed over me and I was off.

We spent the rest of the afternoon painting, waiting for washes to dry and then painting again. It was fantastic. My OCD had been conquered and nobody had died or been eaten by bears. I can still feel the deep seated issues tugging at my being, but at least I now have control.

My painting is nowhere near completion, although I am rather pleased with the results so far. It will be interesting to see how much effort is needed when I get chance to continue, having cleaned the palette and brushes. I’m currently soaking the label off a Robinsons marmalade jar, to use it as a water pot, it wouldn’t have been right to use it with it on. I’ll let you know how I get on when next the brush meets the paints and paper.

Gardening At A Snails Pace

04 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

2012-06-04-158The rain that had watered the runner beans and hanging baskets while we were in Surrey had finally given way to the odd patch of blue sky and sunshine by the time we got out into the garden to plant the new arrivals, purchased yesterday.

With Bumble still incapacitated by her injured ankle, she set to weeding all the buttercups out of the border by the cottage from a seated position, while I was charged with planting the Lupin, Scabia, Foxglove and Sweet Peas.

The rain had turned the soil into a wonderfully moist texture, compared to the arid dust of just a few days ago, and the smell as I dug the holes was very cathartic. B was busy creating a huge mound of uprooted buttercups when she suddenly found her new friend.

Wondering what was tickling her leg, she looked down to see a rather large snail that had decided she was more tasty than the vegetation it had been hiding in. Mr Snail was a very friendly chap, not the usual shy retiring sort that hides in his shell when you pick him up.

It was very interesting to be able to inspect such a curious little creature at close range, and it made me realise just how much wildlife, apart from the ever present birds, we share the garden with. Sometimes beauty comes in some rather unexpected forms.

All Fun At Fanny’s

03 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Fun At Fanny'sDespite the typically wet Bank holiday weather, we all went off to Fanny’s Farm Shop in Merstham, Surrey. It’s a bit of a whacky place, but there are surprises around every corner. The shop was started, and is still run, by Fanny Maiklem and is an eclectic mix of food, veg and curious, and was decked out in red, white and blue for the Jubilee.

We sat in the quaint little cafe and had the famous clotted cream scones. Not good for the waistline, but apparently a calorie shared is a calorie halved, so no damage done. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle by the time we were done, so B and Sue went on a tour of the gardens and the nursery while Steve and I busied ourselves looking at all the curiosities dotted around the place.

We did manage to leave without buying any of Fanny’s famous marmalade, but that was easily made up for by the tray of newly acquired plants that Bumble bought. A thoroughly nice time, albeit a bit soggy, was had by all and it was so nice to see a truly eccentric business doing so well in these times of economic turmoil.

Global Family Values

02 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The Amazing BEDZED Wind VanesBy Saturday lunchtime we had made our way over to Sue and Steve’s in Hackbridge Surrey (or is it Greater London?). They live in the award winning BEDZED development, which is designed to be as eco-friendly as possible, and is actually a truly amazing place. Their roof garden is on the roof of the apartment opposite, very novel indeed.

The apartments are all insulated to the highest standards and have no internal heating, save for the heat generated by the communal hot water system, cooking and the sun. The multi-coloured vanes on the roofs help to keep the air circulating, but have heat exchangers built in, so the air going into the properties is warmed to the temperature of that being drawn out.

It’s a great idea. Designed to be as economical to run as possible, the idea is to leave as small a carbon footprint as is economically viable. The south side of the apartments are predominantly glass, to allow the heat of the sun to gain access during the day. But they are all double (or triple) glazed so that heat is then retained. They also sport arrays of solar cells, which generate electricity to power the free-to-use electric vehicle charging points dotted round the parking areas.

For those of us who try to be as green as possible, it really is an amazing example of what can be achieved when a little extra thought goes into the planning. Thanks for putting us up S & S, it was a real eye-opener to see just how much of an eco-warrior you guys really are.

Questioning Yourself

01 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Questioning YourselfHaving confidence in yourself, in your faith, and in my case, my practice is often a comfortable place to be. But simply having someone else question that confidence can be a good thing at times, even though it might leave you questioning yourself.

When you find yourself being quizzed about aspects of your life, it is all too easy to become defensive, even annoyed by the questions. Who does this person think they are, putting my self confidence under the microscope?

But taking the time to think carefully about the questions, to see things from their point of view and to reflect upon what you see, is a good thing.

Of course it can make you question your own beliefs, about yourself, about the way things really are, and not just the way you see them. It can cause you to pull up short and may even make you realise that the situation is not quite the way you had imagined.

But it also gives you the opportunity to take stock and, where necessary, make changes to align your world view with the real world. Our own little universe is sometimes at odds with the way things really are, so if someone asks you awkward questions, don’t come out with all guns blazing, it may just be that they have a more realistic idea of the situation.

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