A Certain Stillness

19 Feb 2013 4 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , , ,

A Certain StillnessWell, what a strange sort of day. Last week, I received a letter warning that my role within the company was in danger of being made redundant, not the best news. Along with the legalese and waffle about changes to make the company more efficient, there was an invitation to meet and discuss the situation, when I would be able to put my point of view and highlight any details the company might have missed about my role.

I have to say that, despite the pressure of effectively fighting for my future within the company, I remained completely calm throughout the whole proceedings. I even cracked a couple of jokes along the way. I did however make good use of the time I had spent preparing for this battle.

Life is a series of cycles, we all know that, similar situations repeat themselves over time. People who profess to know everything about everything rarely prove that to be the case, and so it transpired this afternoon. Whilst I must admit that there was a hint of self-preservation about it, I felt it was my duty to point this out where appropriate.

So now we have another wait. A wait while the powers that be try to answer the tricky questions that were posed during the meeting, and try to justify their original decisions. The mind races, the dark passenger is having a field day, but I’m rather proud that, through it all, I maintained my dignity and a certain stillness. We shall see what transpires, in time.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

If The Shoe Fits

23 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Old Shoes - Not Jill's BTWAfter spending a very pleasant lunchtime with Bumble and her Mum at The Cricketers, we all adjourned to Jill’s apartment where a footwear based fashion show ensued. Not that it really was a fashion show, more a case of B helping her Mum to appraise the collection of shoes that had been lurking in the wardrobe.

Having walking difficulties, it is imperative that Jill has shoes that help, rather than hinder her progress. So form and function are of much higher importance than fashion, though she did have a rather natty pair of maroon suede ankle boots.

As with so many things in life, a comfortable fit is very important. With shoes it’s all to do with size, width, sole and heel. With relationships it’s more to do with how characters and characteristics mould and match.

In both cases it can be all a matter of time. New shoes can be exactly the right size and fit, but give them time, a short running-in period, and they will become moulded perfectly to your feet. Likewise, as a relationship grows over time, the characters and characteristics of those concerned can also change to fit perfectly, given a degree of wisdom, courage and compassion.

Another perfect example of the law of the oneness of self and the environment.

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.