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.

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.

Life’s Learning Process

28 Jan 2012 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Look Both WaysI love the way this poem beautifully encapsulates the stages of learning, and the long, long road to enlightenment …

  1. I walk down the street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
    I fall in.
    I am lost…
    I am hopeless.
    It isn’t my fault.
    It takes forever to find a way out.
    ~~~~
  2. I walk down the same street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
    I pretend I don’t see it.
    I fall in again.
    I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
    But it isn’t my fault.
    It still takes a long time to get out.
    ~~~~
  3. I walk down the same street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
    I see it is there.
    I still fall in…it’s a habit
    My eyes are open; I know where I am;
    It is my fault.
    I get out immediately.
    ~~~~
  4. I walk down the same street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
    I walk around it.
    ~~~~
  5. I walk down another street.
~ Portia Nelson

Sowing Hidden Gems

24 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

The Hidden Gem Of Buddhist TeachingsFollowing on from yesterday’s post about passing on the good news of Buddhism, this is a parable about the rich man, the poor man and the hidden gem …

A poor man visits a rich friend, gets drunk, and passes out.

The rich man, who has to leave on business, gives his poor man a priceless gem, which he secretly sews into the lining of his friend’s clothes.

When the poor man comes to, he resumes his life as a vagrant, unaware of the treasure he received during his blackout.

Later, he meets the rich man again, who shows him where the gem is concealed, and the poor man realizes his wealth.

Passing on the ideas and ideals behind Buddhist teachings can be likened to sewing a hidden gem into the lining of a friends clothes. Discovering the gem, even years later, can transform a poor life into one of untold enlightened riches.

A Day Of Reflection

23 Nov 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Mirror MirrorBack on my own again, and time to think, to get everything in place and to take stock. Being alone isn’t all bad. It does give me the space for introspection and that is a very healthy thing. Having the peace and quiet to chant is also the perfect environment to put my thoughts in order.

A nice bike ride in the autumn sunshine and the brisk air also gets the grey matter working again. Working hard forces the blood to flow and the heart to pound, both a great way to make me feel alive. Burning the excess calories of the last few days gives a feeling of satisfaction and makes all the effort worthwhile.

So my mind is clear, my decision is made and all that remains is to deliver the verdict. That isn’t going to be the most fun, but I know it will bring a sense of closure. At least, only being half way through my week of relaxation, I still have time to get life back on the right track and settle back onto my path to self enlightenment.

Be Prepared

09 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Be Prepared For LifeNo this isn’t a post about the motto of the Boy Scout organisation, it’s about being ready to face whatever life may throw at you. Many things happen to us in life. There are joyous days and times of suffering. Sometimes unpleasant things happen, but this is really what makes life so interesting. The dramas we encounter are part and parcel of being human.

If we went through life, without changes or dramas, if nothing unexpected ever happened, we could simply live like robots, and our lives would be unbearably dull and monotonous. We must therefore develop an inner strength, so we can enact the drama of our lives with confidence and poise, in the face of whatever challenges we may encounter.

Just as a footnote, my day today was rather joyous, how about yours?

A Long And Winding Road?

05 Oct 2011 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Nichiren DaishoninIn Nichiren Buddhism, attaining enlightenment is not about embarking on some inconceivably long journey to become a resplendent, godlike Buddha, it is about accomplishing a transformation in the depths of one’s being.

In other words, it is not a matter of practicing in order to scale the highest summit of enlightenment at some point in the distant future. Rather it is a constant, moment to moment, inner struggle between revealing our innate Dharma nature or allowing ourselves to be ruled by our fundamental darkness and delusion.

I know which path I would prefer to take, and I’m walking slowly along it day by day.

A Force For Good

26 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

SGI UKThe SGI is a gathering of ordinary people. We struggle to ensure that people are not despised or exploited by those more powerful. To help all people become strong and wise, we are developing a network of peace and culture and putting great emphasis on education.

By nature, SGI people are strong, wise, cheerful and warm. Faith in Nichiren Buddhism has the power to bring out these qualities. The result of our faith is not to turn people into sheep, it is to make them wise, strong and confident.

Wisdom is not using knowledge to cause suffering to others, it is using enlightened insight to improve everyone’s life, including our own.

2011 is the 50th anniversary of SGI Europe.

The Right Path

03 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Moral CompassWe all have to find our own path to enlightenment. One person’s way may not be that of another, but we all have a path, if we take the time, and have the courage to find it.

Everyone has the right to flower, to reveal his or her full potential as human beings and to fulfil their particular mission in this world. You have this right, as does everyone else.

This is the meaning of human rights. To scorn, violate and abuse people’s human rights destroys the natural order of things. Valuing human rights and showing respect for other people are amongst our most important tasks.

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