The Saddest Happiness

20 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

The Saddest HappinessToday, or to be precise, a couple of minutes into tomorrow, Ivor Harold Charles Lemin relinquished his tenure of his worldly body, in favour of a period of rest, before embarking upon another life in the near future.

After the most harrowing of weeks, the end was beautifully quiet, gentle, peaceful and dignified. Bumble held her Dad’s hand as he slipped away, leaving us with the saddest feelings of loss, but the happiest feelings of relief that his suffering was finally at an end.

Take your ease Ivor, rest well, and who knows, we may meet again in your next life.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Endless Day, Endless Night

18 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Although there are signs that we are moving towards a conclusion, nobody knows how far along the path we are. As with all things in life, everyone and every situation is unique, so we keep up our vigil and chant and pray for a peaceful and dignified outcome.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Waiting, Just Waiting

16 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Waiting, Just WaitingSitting here, in ward 107 of Frenchay hospital, with Bridget, her mum, her sister Sue and her husband Steve, we are all waiting. We are waiting for the current situation to change, for the pain that B's father Ivor is currently suffering, dulled by morphine, to stop.

We do not know what course this path will take, nor do we know the length or duration of the journey. But we are all here, together, supporting each other and here most importantly for Ivor. We, in turn, are surrounded by caring people, whose sole aim is to make this journey as peaceful and dignified as possible.

The Wheel of Life turns at a never changing rate, although there are times like this, when we might wish that it would go a little faster, or just stop altogether.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Rain, Rain, Go Away

11 Jul 2012 1 Comment

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

Rain, Rain, Go Away - © Bridget Lemin 2012With the Meteorological Office reporting that June has been the wettest on record in the UK, I imagine that many of us are getting pretty cheesed off with the lack of a ‘proper’ summer.

Recently Wimbledon and now the London Olympics both rely quite heavily on reasonable conditions, so it will be interesting to see how the authorities cope with the unseasonal rain.

The economy could do with some fine weather too, the UK tourism industry needs a good summer to turn a profit, but the outlook looks rather bleak. Even our own holiday was not without a couple of days of rain, as you can see.

But we should all remember that life, in the form we know it, would not exist on Earth if it were not for water. Only weeks ago we were being told that there was a water shortage and that hosepipe bans would be with us all summer. For the poor weatherman, having to spread the news of doom and gloom each evening, it can’t be much fun either.

In the news today, the Environment Agency have issued a report, stating that the Government should plan for more ‘extreme weather’ brought on by man-made global warming. It cannot come as any surprise, we have been releasing increasing amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere for decades, and we all know the connection between cause and effect.

But as with all things in life, this is all part of a longer cycle of events. Remembering back to my childhood, the sun shone every day during the school summer holidays, it was always roasting hot during exam times and the Wheel of Life will turn again.

So let’s look on the bright side. As someone once said, there is no such thing as bad weather, just a poor choice of clothing. Whilst I sympathise with the poor souls who are watching their homes get ruined by flood water, we actually need the water. So like the Boy Scouts, be prepared, carry an umbrella, and remember that every cloud has a silver lining.

Changing Times

09 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

The Byrds - Turn, Turn, TurnEverything in life changes, one of the main principles of Buddhism is that of impermanence the idea that nothing lasts forever. But these changes have a natural order, a structure that, if observed, make the changes simple and easy. If however, we fail to observe that order, things get difficult, uncomfortable, even unbearable.

Those of us of a certain age remember a song by The Byrds, Turn, Turn, Turn, written by Pete Seeger, the words of which are actually based on a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes and are sometimes attributed to the wise Old Testament ruler King Solomon.

I think the lyrics perfectly explain the manner in which changes and The Wheel of Life are inextricably linked:

To every thing, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late

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.

Boing … Spring Is Here

21 Mar 2012 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Spring LambsDespite the recent gloomy weather it is so heart warming to see the green shoots of Spring. I’ve been driving past fields of bouncy lambs for a few days now and it lifts the spirits to see them. It has been beautiful in Ringwood today, temperatures of over 20° and lovely warm sunshine.

Of course, in Buddhist terms, Spring is the first chapter in the year’s Wheel of Life. The reincarnation of nature, following the apparent demise of trees, flowers and shrubs over the Winter months.

As sure as day will follow night and Spring will follow Winter, our rebirth follows the death of our earthly bodies. Exactly the same way that plants use Winter to build their reserves for the Spring, we use death to recharge our souls ready for rebirth.

It is a time of lengthening days, warmer sunshine and the emergence of banks of daffodils  and other Spring flowers. In fact the clock go forward this weekend, so we can look forward to the nice long evenings again.

The Wheel of Life continues to turn, today, tomorrow and for Eternity.

The Saddest Of Memories

13 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

My Nan, Charlotte and HannahMarch the thirteenth always stirs up the saddest of memories for me and my family. It is exactly twenty years ago today, that I lost the second most important lady in my life, my paternal grandmother. Just to make it even worse, if that were at all possible, ironically, March the thirteenth 1992 was a Friday, probably the worst Friday the thirteenth ever.

She was the most wonderful grandmother anyone could ever have had. She looked after me when I was very young, when my Mom was suffering from Tuberculosis, in the days when it was often fatal. She was a tweeny, a maid between stairs, in the days when Upstairs, Downstairs was a lot less romantic that it is on TV today. She was married to my grandfather Walter, in the days when Wally wasn’t a derogatory name.

She lived in a council house in Erdington, Birmingham, never owned a car, never really had two pennies to rub together, but was dignified and always proud of the way she looked and the way she kept that house. I spent many, many happy school summer holidays there, and remember being spoiled rotten.

She made the best bread pudding in the world, always had peaches or pears and trifle on the tea table and knitted me more school jumpers than I can count. We went on lots of holidays together as a family, but never outside the UK, in fact she may never have been abroad in her whole life. She was never happier than when she had something to worry about, but she was always happy and full of love.

She was just wonderful, was always there for us and is greatly missed. It makes me happy to know that she is back in the world somewhere and I know she will be spreading love and light wherever she (or he) is. We are thinking of you Nan.

Life’s Too Short To Waste

24 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The Grim ReaperDeath does not discriminate, it strips us of everything.

Fame, wealth and power are all useless in the unadorned reality of the final moments of life. When the time comes, we will have only ourselves to hold to account.

This is a solemn confrontation that we must face, armed only with our raw humanity, the actual record of what we have done and how we have chosen to live our lives.

All that remains to ask is this …

Have I been true to myself?

What have I contributed to the world?

Which areas give me a sense of satisfaction, and which a sense of regret?

Think about this each and every day, for one day, maybe sooner than you think, it will be too late to make amends.

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

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