Wayne’s World

19 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

SmileApart from being delighted that England squeaked past Ukraine, the Euro 2012 co-hosts, tonight, I was very pleased to see that Wayne Rooney had a pretty good game. Young Wayne has been a bit of a loose cannon in the past, but tonight he got the winner and kept his cool, despite having only recently returned from a rather long lay-off due to injury.

I’m not suggesting that Rooney’s more relaxed demeanour has anything to do with Buddhist practice, but I have to say that mine has been hugely influenced by my own faith. Being calm and collected, particularly under pressure is not only rather important, but also hugely satisfying.

The old saying about keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs is absolutely true. If you allow circumstances to get the better of you, lose your temper or focus, you will almost certainly regret it later. But staying in control not only makes a good outcome more likely, but will also leave you feeling confident.

So next time you get into a confrontation, or find yourself under pressure, take a few seconds to become more self-aware and check any natural tendencies to get angry or emotional. It takes practice, but the effort will pay benefits time after time after time.

A Fine Father’s Day

17 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Lady Boys of BangkokToday has been pretty perfect. It started with a family breakfast at the Porto Lounge in Fishponds. Apart from my son Stas, everyone was there. Charlotte and Rob, Hannah and Jay and all four grandsons, tucked up round a nice long table and seemingly taking over half the cafe, just brilliant.

The lads were all well behaved. Jake taking photos of everyone with his camera, Zach colouring in a picture B had found for him, Oliver doing the rounds of people’s laps and Stanley helping his granddad by eating the marshmallows off the top of my latte. So lovely to all be together, and not before time, actually we couldn’t remember the last Father’s day we spent time together, but the next time will be soon.

A quick trip over to pick up B’s mum and then back to Frenchay to see Ivor and deliver his card. Again, he was in good spirits and we had a nice time telling him about the breakfast and the choral evening. It’s always hard to leave him, but I think he was getting tired, so he was already dozing as we left.

While B took her mum home I mowed the lawn, then we tackled the rose arch together. Although roses are pretty and have a wonderful scent, those thorns are little devils. I have the war wounds to prove it. A quick shower, change and back out again to see The Lady Boys of Bangkok.

I’m not going to excuse myself by saying that they are a Buddhist act, even though they are. I was a bit sceptical when B told me that she had got tickets, but I was wrong, they were absolutely amazing. It was difficult to remember that all these gorgeous women on stage were actually all men, you would never have guessed.

So another brilliant day, fun and family in perfect harmony. On days like today it’s important to remember those who don’t happen to be so fortunate. But it is also important to realise that the causes we have made brought these effects about too.

Super Sonic Saturday

16 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Bristol CathedralWhat a great day! After a rather lazy, though well deserved late start, we took a trip in Fishponds to get a Father’s Day card for Ivor, who’s back in hospital again. Although the problem is well known, it can’t be fun for him to keep shuttling back and fro between Frenchay and the nursing home.

We were being picked up by Lisa and Vee in the early evening, so by the time we got back from the hospital we were a bit tight for time. Not that we rushed the visit. While B went off to talk to the nurses, I read Ivor a story about Women’s intuition.

It was all about how, as men, we try all the obvious technical routes to getting things working, like the car that won’t start. Check the plugs, points, carburettor etc. to no avail. Then the lady of the house notices that the number plate is loose and when it’s tightened, the car inexplicably starts, for no apparent reason.

Ivor and I laughed and laughed, and I know it made us both feel better in the circumstances. So a quick bite to eat, a shower and into our glad rags just in time as L and V turned up bang on time. The rain that had been threatening all day finally arrived as we set off for Bristol Cathedral.

So what, you might ask, were we doing in Bristol Cathedral on a Saturday night in mid June? Well we were there to listen to Handel’s choral piece, Israel in Egypt, all about Moses and the exodus of the Israelites, performed by the Bristol Choral Society.

It was the last performance by B’s friend Tina’s mum, retiring after over 30 years as a member. And it was stirring stuff. The choir were fantastic, the acoustics amazing, and the cathedral itself is an awesome building.

So a really enjoyable evening, in a very fitting setting. Albeit that the subject of the piece isn’t exactly in line with Buddhist practice, it was clear that the singing had a very similar effect to Buddhist chanting. The very sound lifts the heart, and when sung so beautifully, it goes to show that we should member that there’s a lot in common between religions.

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.

Walking In A Woollard Wonderland

30 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

William and JasonMy trips to Newbury are getting so frequent lately, that the car seems to know its way there instinctively by now. Although the journey is very simple, A31, M27, M3, A38, it is quite a long way and can take a long time when the traffic gets busy. So it presents the perfect opportunity to chant or to listen and learn from some of the great Buddhist authors, like William Woollard.

Today I have been listening to chapters 14 and 15 of his amazing book, Buddhism and the Science of Happiness, as recorded and published, in podcast format, by another pair of amazing Nichiren Buddhists, Jason and Karen Jarrett of abuddhistpodcast.com fame.

Chapter 14, entitled A Kind of Revolution, covers the way that Buddhism, in all its forms, is spreading westward, not though evangelists or teachers, but almost exclusively by word of mouth. Something that few, if any, other religions have done for thousands of years. It explains that as western society gets more and more bogged down in capitalism and the ills that the pursuit of money, wealth and property bring, people are searching, ever more widely, for a way to come to terms with their lives and a way to increase their happiness.

Chapter 15, entitled The Wealth Delusion, explains that although incomes and personal wealth have increased significantly in the past fifty to sixty years, people have not become proportionally happier as a result. On the contrary, with the tendency for people to measure their own self worth, as well as that of others, by what they earn or the things they possess, there has been a gradual trend to become less and less satisfied with our lot.

William’s soothing voice, and the wise and educational words flowed over me as I made my way to and from a rather high pressure work situation. Their relevance to that situation might be questioned, but their effect upon me can not be underestimated.

William has been a part of my life since his days on television, as a presenter of fantastic programs like Tomorrows World and Top Gear. Back them he wasn’t a Buddhist, but it is clear from his message, that Buddhism has had a profound and lasting effect upon him and the people around him.

If you get the chance, take a tour of Jason and Karen’s website, and download some or all of William’s readings. They are freely available and well worth listening to. In fact listening to the podcasts was really the reason I became a Nichiren Buddhist myself, so a heartfelt thank you to The Jarretts for all the hard work they put into the site, and a massive thank you to William for taking the time to write, and then record his wisdom, so that the rest of us may learn from the lessons he has learned over the years.

Bikes, Bikes and More Bikes

29 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Bikes, Bikes and more BikesThe first day back in the office for five days brought with it the expected quantity of emails and urgent tasks. Having put my back to the wheel, with no lunch, for the whole day, by 5:00pm I was ready to get out into what was left of the sunshine and take in some fresh air.

Whilst busy negotiating the never-ending road works at Canford Bottom, I was conscious of the stream of motorbikes heading towards Poole. Then the penny dropped, it was Tuesday, not Monday and they were all heading to the weekly bike rally on Poole Quay.

So how to combine sunshine, fresh air and motorbikes? Easy, get on my bicycle and ride down to the Quay. And so it was that I had a nice relaxing pootle over the Twin Sails Bridge and into Poole Old Town, where literally hundreds and hundreds of beautiful motorbikes were lining the road along the quay.

Having taken a leisurely ride along the length of the impromptu exhibition, and back, I chatted to a few of the bikers, took a few photos and drooled over a number of very pretty bits of machinery. Going home via the beach at Hamworthy park, the stress of the day floated gently away on the ebb tide. What a nice way to relax at the end of a hard day.

Full Of Beans

28 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Runner BeansWith Bumble back in the cottage, it became very clear that she was in no fit state to do things for herself. Not that you could ever tell her that, she is a persistent little B, and stubbornly insisted that she do this, carry that, the list went on and on. But actually, if her ankle is to get better sooner rather than later, she has to rest it and try not to put weight on it.

So it was, that after a lazy, restful start to the day, we headed off to the supermarket to stock up the fridge and cupboards. It is strange to see the reactions of other people to someone being helped around the shop, whilst tapping away with a walking stick. I guess people with disabilities or debilitating illnesses get this all the time, but it’s not something I would ever like to have to get used to.

Having bought ice cream, we had to make a bit of a dash to see B’s parents, but fortunately they survived the journey and were enjoyed by all. Then we were treated to a slide show of Bumble’s photos from the Isles of Scilly. Some beautiful views, amazing flora and sights of the seashore and boats. Even a photo of the hole that delivered the sprained ankle, now that shows composure under pressure.

The day was ended with the ceremonial planting of the runner beans around the carefully erected bamboo cane tepee. Hopefully the sandy soil will be improved by an inaugural layer of home made compost that had been carefully ‘mined’ from the base of the composter. When you know what goes into the top, it’s a small miracle that what comes out of the bottom is such good fertilizer. A real life example of turning poison into medicine.

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries