Keep Calm And Grow

20 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Keep CalmA complete lack of exertion or stress may seem desirable, but in fact it results in boredom and stagnation. It is essential that we keep making continuous efforts amid challenging circumstances, pushing forward with dynamic creativity and breaking through all obstacles. That is the way to develop new strength and achieve fresh growth, whether it be in the case of an individual or an organisation.

When we make a real effort to complete a task, involving a certain degree of adversity, we should remember that the mental exercise involved is actually doing us good. Remaining calm, refusing to be riled by circumstances is further proof of our growing self-awareness.

And The Lesson Today Is …

18 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Today's LessonWhen I sit down to write my blog, I try to relate the circumstances surrounding a particular lesson I have learned that day. Quite often the post has been rattling around in my head and it is my job to just put it into some kind of format for general consumption.

However, the lesson for today is that there is not necessarily a lesson to be learned. Of course the day has been filled with the micro challenges of work, family, relationships, just the stuff of life, but there hasn’t been a focus on anything particular.

If anything has come out of today, it has been the realisation that some of the lessons of the past have actually been learned and the effect of that really does make a difference when I meet the situation again. And that has to be a good sign, another step along the path.

Perseverance Wins

11 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

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

Andy Murray - US Open WinnerCongratulations to Andy Murray, for winning the first Grand Slam title of his career. His thrilling US Open victory over Novak Djokovic, which had me glued to the TV until nearly 3:00am this morning, is the first British Grand Slam winner since Fred Perry in 1936.

I am ashamed to say, that as with Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and other previous British hopefuls, I was fearful that a title win would never come. It seemed that when the chips were really down, he just didn’t have the character to push home any advantage.

So sitting there this morning, I was delighted when after taking the first two sets, then losing the next two, he found that inner strength to play some of his best tennis and defeat Djokovic in the final set. The match took just short of 5 hours to complete, a testament to the stamina and fitness of both players.

Murray thanked his new coach and mentor, Ivan Lendl, and said that his experience and presence had helped him to this first title win. Of course Murray has practiced and practiced to reach this level of achievement. He has had the determination to continue in the face of defeats and is now reaping the rewards of that dedication.

His goal was a Grand Slam title, my goal is enlightenment, very different on the face of it, but the path to both entails practice, focus, determination and courage to continue in the face of adversity. Andy has reached his goal, for me the quest continues.

Be The Light

06 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

A Little Ray Of LightHaving a sedentary job, sitting in front of a PC monitor all day, has not been good for my continuing back problem. Being a hod carrier probably wouldn’t be much better, though it might mean that I might have been a bit fitter and not had the problem in the first place.

Any way, this pain seems to be at its worst when, either I have been standing for a while and then sit down, or when I’ve been sitting and stand up. Either way, the transition is jolly painful I can tell you and it’s really getting to me.

Maybe that is why, when my beloved Bumble called me tonight, I did a pretty good job of draining every drop of life-energy out of her, leaving her in a rather flat and depressed state. Just what a girl is looking for in the perfect life partner, or not.

And now I feel like a proper heel and would like to ring her and tell her so, but she’ll be sleeping and that would only make matters worse. So what have we learned tonight? That being a grumpy git is, on the whole, not very conducive to making others feel happy? So from now on, no matter how painful my back, I will try to be the light of her life, rather than the doom in her gloom.

Hindsight is a perfect science, but looking a the situation from another’s viewpoint is a good way to pre-empt a foolish or selfish action. I have a horrible feeling that this lesson has been learned before, but it does also go to show that the path to enlightenment is not always straight or level, and maybe the bumps actually teach us more.

A Painful Lesson

04 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

A Painful LessonProbably as a result of all the hedge cutting this weekend, my back is giving me trouble again. It’s been a tough day, trying to catch up with the lost days from last week, and having the pain didn’t help much.

Tonight, Bumble rang to see how I was, and was keen to help me resolve my back problem. She has a deal of experience in dealing with disability, so she does know what helps and what doesn’t.

I had taken a couple of paracetamol, rubbed some Voltarol gel on the small of my back and gone to bed, as lying down seemed to help ease the pain. But I think the combination of the discomfort and the tiring day in the office had conspired to put me in a pretty low life-state.

I was less than grateful for the advice, which is shameful. After she put the phone down I felt really bad about things. I needed to sort myself out, maybe even actually take some of the advice on board.

So I got up, went for a short walk around the quay and had a hot shower when I got back home. Then I chanted, and my life-state seemed to rise with every repetition of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

I would like to think that my blog helps others by giving out a positive message, but I also think it is important to be honest. So tonight I have to be honest and say that this evening, when Bumble rang, was a definite step backwards.

The only consolation is, that after a deal of soul-searching and chanting, I was able to look at things from a more positive viewpoint. I am sorry to disappoint the people who read my blog regularly, but I am heartened that another challenge has been met, and another important lesson learned.

Back To The Path

03 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

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

The Right WayReading back through my last few posts, I fear that the Buddhist content seems to have fallen a little by the wayside. So today, albeit back at work, has been a good excuse to bring my practice back to the forefront.

As always, the two hour drive from Bristol gives me ample time to chant, and this morning, chant I did, most of the way. It really does sharpen me up for the day ahead, but it also allows me to take stock of the weekend and the events thereof.

My life has changed quite a bit since Bumble and I got together, not just geographically, though of course that has been apparent, but also spending quite a bit less time at home, the structure of my practice has also changed. I would like to feel for the better, though some may disagree.

It’s quite funny that my being a Buddhist could probably be put down as the most influential reason why B and I ever met. Her Mum is also a Nichiren Buddhist and without that, she may never have taken an interest, and life would not have changed in the manner it has.

So it is beholding to me to ensure that I maintain my practice, improve my Buddha nature and continue my quest for self improvement, not only for my own benefit, but also for Bumble, who saw, and still sees it, as a very important part of our relationship.

Personal Responsibility

22 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

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

ResponsibilityIt’s Auntie Pat’s funeral next Wednesday, so the family will once again gather to say their farewells. Unfortunately, being the day after the day after the bank holiday is not ideal, but there are some things in life, and death, that are a higher priority than others.

Officially, I am not part of Pat’s family, so have not been granted compassionate leave in order to attend. However, I want to be there, to support Bumble as well as to pay respect to Pat and her immediate family.

Her children, their partners and children will be coming up from Cornwall for the service, so it is the least I can do, particularly after they made the effort to be at Ivor’s burial, at such short notice.

In the past, I am sorry to say, I have not taken my responsibilities as seriously as I might have. That, I am pleased to say, has all changed. So I will be there next week, come hell or high water, and will do the right thing by all concerned. Just another example of how my practice has contributed to helping me be a better person.

A Moving Experience

28 Jul 2012 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

A Moving ExperienceFollowing the emotional challenges of yesterday, today we had a far more down to earth set of goals to achieve, namely moving B’s son Sam and his partner Georgie into their new house in Kingswood.

Not that moving furniture is generally such a problem, but when it’s someone else’s property and you have no idea what is in each box, or where it should be put, it does get a little more tricky.

Fortunately, baby Merrin was round at Georgie’s mum’s house, so we were able to leave doors open and move around without worrying about her escaping or getting tangled up in the bits of dismantled bed, wardrobes or cupboards.

It took us a while, even though there were six of us on the case. The weather was kind, even a little too warm for humping and lifting maybe, but by mid afternoon we were able to leave Sam and Georgie to get on with the onerous task of putting everything in its rightful place, another challenge met and a job well done by all.

All that is left to do is to wish the couple all the very best in there new abode and hope that they are very happy. I’ve done a bit of chanting to that effect, so everything should go to plan.

Letting Go

23 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Letting GoIt’s been a rather sad day for me today. Not because it was my first day back at work after a very difficult week away, or because it was a Monday, or even because I was missing Bumble, though of course I was. It was because I had to step back from the process of organising Ivor’s funeral. Not that I think for one instant that it will be anything other than perfect, but I was finding it very hard to be at arms length all of a sudden.

You know the feeling, when you have been doing a tricky jigsaw puzzle and got to within the last few pieces, or struggled with a tough crossword puzzle but only have the last clue to solve, then you get called away for some reason. When you return, someone has finished the puzzle, or inked in the last word, you feel a little cheated. We that’s how I was feeling, at least a bit.

Then, having taken a minute or two to think about things, I realised that this is not about me, in fact it’s anything but, so who organises what, or arranges what, is totally immaterial. In fact, I have been asked, by Jill, to contribute something for which I am very honoured. She has asked me to write, and to read at the graveside, something that explains the joyous nature of death in a Buddhist context.

So I will put my heart and soul into writing a piece that illustrates how death is far from the end in Buddhism. That it is simply another phase in the Wheel of Life and signifies the beginning of another cycle of life, and as such, is something which holds a great deal of happiness.

And Relax

13 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

And RelaxFollowing yesterday’s cancelled meeting, I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about the group meeting planned for today. For me, not knowing about a situation is often far worse than the reality turns out to be.

We do work pretty hard, as a team, to keep the wheels of the company’s IT systems well oiled. Sometimes it involves out-of-hours tasks, simply because we can’t do admin in the middle of the working day, sometimes it is a fire fighting exercise, when a website decides to go AWOL, or a hacker decides to try his luck at breaking in.

So when the governor told us that we were going to have our group meeting, and cover the discussions he had with the other department yesterday, a million questions started whizzing around my brain.

The meeting was to be held in a nice quiet local hostelry, so at least the environment was pleasant. But then their Wi-Fi wasn’t working, so we couldn’t go through the discussion points as we had no access to our back office systems. It was a fairly quite, but very tasty lunch, but the questions remained.

So cutting our offsite visit a little short, we reconvened in the boardroom back at the office to hear what Guy had to say. I don’t think I was the only one wondering what he had in store for us. So when it turned out to be a case of miss, or lack of, communication, we gave a collective sigh of relief.

Lesson learned, there is little or no point worrying about issues that it transpires, don’t actually exist. Pointless getting stressed about an imagined set of circumstances, and less than productive to try to second guess the outcome of anything, given little or no information to go on.

We do need to improve our processes, hone our interdepartmental communications, and fine tune our planning strategies. But as far as the worrying was concerned, it was a sad waste of time and effort. I must try harder next time, to remember the lessons of today.

Nice lunch though!

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