Pick Of The Weak

05 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Will Self For PMThe recent changes in tax allowances and other social benefits have highlighted the Government’s intention to increase the strain on the weaker members of society whilst putting yet more money back into the hands of the strong.

The change to the higher tax rate, from 50 to 45%, whilst being an understandable change if it actually brings more money into the Treasury, is a huge slap in the face for the less well off members of society. What ever happened to the ‘we’re all in this together’ way of looking at things.

In an economy that is struggling to offer any further employment, it beggars belief that the payment of Income Supplements should now be based on working 24 hours a week rather than the current 16. Companies are finding it hard to provide enough work for the employees they have now, let alone finding an effective increase of 50% for those most needy of the work.

I’m all in favour of making the Benefits System fair and just. We hear about the alleged scroungers who are milking the system. We never seem to hear about those who are living on or below the ‘bread-line’ and having real difficulties in making ends meet.

How can we expect a bunch of millionaire ministers to have the vaguest idea of how ‘the other half’ live? They are more concerned with lining their own pockets, and those of their cronies, with little or no regard to the millions of people who have no real voice in how the country is run.

Come on Cameron and Co. Let’s see a little more Wisdom, Courage and Compassion from you guys. We are paying your wages, and yet you are picking on the oldest and weakest in society. It’s high time we had a government made up of more people like Billy Bragg, Will Self and others who, although wealthy in their own right, at least have the gumption to stand up for the working and middle classes.

Tick, Tick, Tick

04 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The Bickley Mill StreamIt’s half term holidays and the journey to work this morning was easier than usual, so I found myself at the office earlier than I expected. Behind our premises in Ringwood, runs the Bickley Mill stream, a small tributary of the river Avon and, having a little time to spare, I stood on the bank watching the water moving slowly past.

I have always found water fascinating. The conjunction of reflected and refracted images mean that there is a merging of environments. It is not possible to see the bottom of the stream clearly and yet you are offered glimpses of clarify as the water ripples form the right angle to see through the surface. An instant later that view is gone.

I began to see a similarity between this phenomena and our lives. You may have experienced times when you have a sudden flash of clarity, regarding a problem or opportunity, then moments later it is gone, cloaked by the smokescreen of everyday life. I know that I have woken from a particularly vivid dream, where the memories are so clear that it has taken a second or two to realise that it was a dream. Almost as soon as that realisation kicks in, the memories start fading, so quickly that while minutes it would be quite difficult to relate the dream to someone else in all its detail.

Another thought popped into my head. The flow of the river, the flow of time and the passage of our lives are all one and the same. Specialist subject ‘stating the obvious’ you might be saying, but it was one of those clarity moments which almost takes ones breath away. I think we should all take a second to remember, that moment by moment, our lives are moving like the river, from future, to present, to past, in an unstoppable flow. Wishing for the weekend to be here, waiting for that special event, all miss the immediate imperative, that every second is precious and should be used to the full.

Nobody knows when their time will be up, when they have no more future in this lifetime, only past. That, in my opinion is a good thing, imagine the sense of panic that would be induced by seeing that ‘life clock’ ticking down to 00:00:00. What is important is to remember that you can never get that time back, so use it wisely and never, ever, waste a single second.

Look Before You Leap

03 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Look Before You LeapIt has been said, on several occasions, that I am impetuous. That I do things on impulse, without thinking them through as much as I should. It comes, I believe from being the eternal optimist and from seeing the good in something whilst ignoring any bad that might be lurking round the corner.

But being so impulsive can, and has been in the past, very damaging. Failing to weigh up all the pros and cons and not seeing things from every viewpoint can lead one into difficult and damaging situations from whence there is no easy return.

So when I read my latest post for Homophilosophicus to B tonight, I was all ready to send it off for publication. To my surprise, although she praised the piece, B asked me to sit on it for a day or two and to re-read it before I send it off. To me, this seemed rather un-necessary. After all, wasn’t I the one who had written it. Wasn’t I the one who had mulled it over in my head for the past month. What was there to think about?

Of course, through talking it over, it became clear that there were others in the piece who might read it, might react to it, who might, just might, be upset by it. So it’s sitting in my drafts folder at this very minute, ready for me to re-read it and re-read it again, until I’m absolutely sure it’s right.

Approaching things with wisdom, courage and compassion is a major part of my road to enlightenment. Now B isn’t a Buddhist, although she has many Buddhist ways about her, but having the courage to ask me to wait, to take stock, to rethink something very dear to my heart has been a good lesson for me.

Enlightenment is a long, long journey, and I have taken another important step forward on that journey tonight, thanks to the very wonderful B and her Wisdom, Courage and Compassion. Thank you Bumble.

Back On The Wheel

02 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Back On The WheelSo the holiday is well and truly over and I’m back in the office. Although it was never going to be a typical week off, with all the DIY and general work on the cottage, it was, as is often said, the change that was as good as as rest.

Getting up at 5:00am this morning was tough. Leaving B in a lovely warm bed, to pack the car, defrost the windows and set off in the dark, is not my idea of fun. The traffic was quite light, but what there was, was slow, so the journey dragged on a bit.

Then a crimson glow appeared towards the East, getting brighter by the minute and that magical gradient of light that heralds the dawn greeted the queue of traffic as we headed south down the A36. It was a little bonus to be able to watch the golden globe of the sun rise slowly but surely, higher and higher.

As expected, my inbox was stuffed with tons of emails requiring my attention. Sorting through them, one by one, identifying those that needed an immediate response from those that could wait a little, or had already been dealt with, took pretty much the whole day.

With so many to deal with, the total never seemed to change, but like the imperceptible change towards enlightenment, it was only when I looked back at what had been achieved that I noticed the progress I had made.

Our daily Practice, like my chanting this morning as I grew ever closer to Salisbury, helps us grow and move ever nearer to enlightenment. In the same way that we are too close to our eyelashes to be able to see them, we are too enveloped by our Practice to see the changes on a day by day basis.

If you ever need proof of how you are progressing, take a metaphorical look back at how you were a week, a month or a year ago, and be comforted by the changes you can perceive from that more distant viewpoint.

The Perfect Day

01 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

The Breakfast PartySo we’ve come to the last day of our holiday, and maybe we could have been rueing its passing, but today has been the very best of Sundays. With an early start in order to have the croissants ready for the arrival of Charlotte, Hannah and Oliver, we were delighted to see that the weather was still as beautiful as it had been all week.

We, or should I say I, demolished said croissants in pretty short order whilst Oliver consumed his apple puree. Washed down with lashings of hot coffee and plenty of good humoured banter, it was a perfect start to a perfect day.

Being made mostly of stone, the cottage is a bit like a fridge at times, so we decided to decamp to the garden and avail ourselves of the glorious sunshine. Garden chairs were erected and arranged and the jollifications continued. The garden is in need of a bit of TLC, but actually it fits perfectly into the higgledy piggledy style of a cottage garden. The birds and bees were in evidence, making themselves busy with their comings and goings.

Proceedings came to an end around 11:00 following the now obligatory photo session to record the event. With Oliver safely strapped into his child seat, the girls set off for home and we set off to find a few more ‘essentials’ for the guest bedroom. It was a fruitless search. Even a bit of light-hearted haggling failed to prise a rather nice, but far too expensive chest of drawers from the current owner, so we were home again by 1:00.

The Grove Wood Action Group, of whom Steve, the next door neighbour is advocate, were planning a walk from Shell Cottage, down to Grove Wood, in celebration of their successful prevention of the desecration of the wood by a local developer. Dressed in pseudo medieval and animal costumes, they made a colourful procession through the village and down the the entrance to the woods, where a ceremonial cutting of a ribbon took place.

Spirits were understandably high and much mirth and merriment accompanied the walk through the woods following the ceremony. The fact that, for us, it was a surprise event, only added to the fun and frivolity and we were happy to help by recording the occasion for posterity.

So a perfect end to a perfect and very enjoyable holiday. The weather, the events and particularly the company made it a thoroughly memorable time. Most pleasant.

Fuelling The Fury

31 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Yummy Cakes in Coffee#1What a conundrum, I had enough petrol to get back to Bristol, to get B back home in time for her to go to work on Monday, but probably not enough to then get back to Ringwood. With the petrol panic still in full flow, should I drive around, using precious petrol, on the off chance I might stumble across a filling station with petrol, or just go for broke and head off to Somerset?

Having seen the CLOSED signs everywhere round Poole, there didn’t seem much mileage in embarking on a search, so we packed our bags and headed off towards Blandford. All the supermarket forecourts were empty, apart from the army of traffic cones, indicating that the priceless hydrocarbon nectar was non-existent. We pressed on, trying to eek as many miles out of each and every drop of fuel.

Having done the Bristol run, many, many times, I knew of a little filling station on the A360 in Longbridge Deverill, and sure enough it came up trumps. No queues, plenty of petrol and a public loo to boot. The price was a little more than I am used to pay, but considering our plight, we were only too happy to pay it.

So it just goes to show. If you can keep your cool, remain calm and collected whilst those about you are running (or driving) around like headless chickens, almost any situation can be overcome. With a full tank of petrol, and an empty bladder, we were back our way again, non the worse for the experience.

Just to further sweeten the trip, we took a minor detour into Keynsham to share a mini cheesecake and a slice of carrot cake in Coffee#1. After a short bimble round the shops for bread and fresh veggies, we got back onto the A4 and trundled back to Stapleton.

Picture Perfect

30 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Bahamas? - No, Sunny DorsetJust how lucky are we? Taking a week off in the UK at the end of March would not strike you as the most likely time to find blue skies and sunbathing temperatures, but that’s what we’ve had all week. They are promising snow for next week, but right now we could be in the Bahamas.

With the sun peeping through the fresh green leaves of Spring, we chose a perfect spot for breakfast next to the stream that meanders through Branksome Chine. It was beautifully tranquil, very few other people around and the sound of birdsong supplying the soundtrack to the first meal of the day.

We sat on the balcony of the beach restaurant with a large coffee each, and surveyed the scene. Mile upon mile of golden sand, bathed in sunshine from a perfect cloudless blue sky, and dotted with a handful of other people out enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.

A couple of hours later, having combed the sea shore for shells and other interesting flotsam and jetsam, we made our way back up through the Chine. Seeing nature in all its picture perfect beauty really is a chance to appreciate the wonders in life. No matter what else is going on, there are always moments in a day when you can just take it all in, and smile.

Sun, Sea And Sand

29 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Dorset SunsetHaving worked till after 10:00pm last night priming the woodwork in the hallway and then getting up at the crack of dawn to undercoat the same, we were both ready for a couple of days R ‘n R down in sunny Dorset.

The fly in the ointment came when those intelligent people in the Government decided to tell people ‘not to panic’ over the predicted petrol tanker driver’s strike. Brilliant !!! If there’s one way to promote panic in the population, it’s to tell people not to panic.

Coming down the A36 we were on the lookout for a filling station that had either some petrol or didn’t have a queue of cars half a mile long waiting to fill up with what was left. It was clear that the advice had been completely ignored, and panic buying was the order of the day.

Judging by the news coming out of the ACAS meetings, the drivers are looking to enter into talks to stop the strike happening, so was the panic a planned move to deflect our attention from something else?

Whatever the reason, people in such lofty positions should use a bit more common sense with regard to such issues. Not only have they put the country into fuel induced pandemonium, but their crass handling of the situation has resulted in a woman being severely burned whilst decanting petrol in her kitchen. A serious lack of Wisdom, Courage and Compassion all round.

Double Vision

28 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

A CompromiseIt’s a pretty well known fact, that nothing in life that’s worth doing is very easy to achieve. So it is with B’s cottage. It’s the best part of 150 years old, was built before the invention of the right angle and restoration consumes more TLC than money, and that’s a lot.

Having braved the first winter with old, rotten and ill-fitting sash windows, it seems to be a good time to start looking for replica or refurbished units to take their place. Now I stand corrected if I’m wrong, but i don’t remember seeing any sash windows in new build properties lately. There’s a good reason for that, they are a nightmare to maintain.

Ideally, any replacements should combine the look of the traditional original windows with the thermal and sound insulation properties of modern UPVC units. You’d think it would be easy, but it’s not. Even though Mel came to see the property, spent hours measuring, discussing and trying to find the perfect compromise, I’m not sure that there is one.

Faith is a little like that, you know what you want, what you don’t want, what you can believe and what you can’t. Finding Nichiren Buddhism has been for me, after years of searching, the perfect blend of belief, practice and life-philosophy. I know everyone is different and that it’s a case of horses for courses, but any idea that can have life changing possibilities has to be worth passing on.

Stairway To Heaven

27 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Stairway to HeavenYou know that feeling, when you have been struggling with a 5000 piece jigsaw of the Trooping of the Colour, and you finally slot in the very last piece? Well I didn’t have that feeling today, although another huge piece in this puzzle we laughingly call The Cottage, namely the stair carpet, went in today!

It had started rather badly. We were supposed to have four of the gripper rods screwed to two particularly tricky stairs (I won’t burden you with the details) before Clayton, the carpet fitter, arrived to fit the new carpet to the stairs and landing. But as are the universal laws governing such things, it took much longer than expected.

I could. at this point, discuss Blake’s Law of Task Management, which states that irrespective of the care or detail lavished on the estimation of the time to complete any given task or project, it will always take twice as many of the next units of time as that of the estimate, to complete. For example, something what might be expected to take a minute to finish, will in fact generally take around 2 hours, whereas a task expected to take 2 weeks will consume around 4 months. But I won’t.

Clayton would agree with Blake’s Law I think. It was pretty clear that he was considering himself to be in possession of a particularly short straw about half way into the fitting. He explained that is was taking longer than expected because of the physical characteristics of the particular carpet we had chosen, but I knew it was really the effect of Blake’s Law.

Of course, I am now writing this in hindsight, and the stair carpet has been beautifully laid hours ago. But just as the more mundane tasks in life take as long as they take, so our road to enlightenment takes as long as we need to reach that state. Refurbishment and enlightenment have a lot of similarities I find, although it appears that refurbishment is a lot harder on the hands.

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