A-cookin' @ KA27 8NX

Merry Christmas Buddha?

2011-12-02T03:27:00.000+00:00

Often, but especially at this time of the year, I have people ask me whether I celebrate Christmas, or what significance Christmas, and consequently Christ, has for and/or in Buddhism -- if any.
Perhaps one needs to approach this question slightly differently. Why does Christ, and consequently Christmas, have such an enormous impact or influence in our lives. For that matter, why does the year 2000 have such apparent value or significance? It is all based on the Christian calendar. And Christianity, after all, is only a minority religion!!!

By minority is meant that according to the latest records, only a third of the total global population, namely two billion, actually proclaim to be Christians, and consequently other religions like Muslim, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, etc. not to forget atheists of course, have a much greater following in terms of sheer bodies (people), existence (age) and support, collectively. Singularly the next largest in number is the Islamic belief with a following of 1.2 billion adherents. These figures of course are only approximate estimates, and also, the figure for Christians includes the full ‘Christian Family Tree’, namely Anglican, Catholic (Roman and all Orthodox included), Evangelical, Jehovah’s Witness, Amish, Protestant, 7th Day Adventist, Vineyard churches and many more.

So, how did Christianity together with all its pagan festivals get to have so much power? When examining various issues and concepts more closely, especially in this capitalistic and monopolistic world that we are living in, it should soon become clear what really matters to most (and really absolutely most ) people, and what comes off second best. In our present day and age there are two fundamental predictors or dictators, namely ones which get sung about a lot. NO, love is not one of them. It is something far greater and much more significant, since after all, it is able to make the world go round.

MONEY! “It’s a gas”, as Pink Floyd said in their song of the same title. Or as someone else put it, “Money talks, Bulldust walks!” And the other one is of course directly related in our materialistic world, namely control, power, glory. Control, power and glory are generally viewed as belonging to one and the same, and all of them are these days seen as being synonymous with achievement. If you have a lot of money, wealth, material possessions, then you must have achieved something. Depends of course on your outlook, definition or understanding of achievement.

Money and power is what most countries use, in one way or another, to control the destiny of its inhabitants on a global scale. These days it is politely referred to as economics, and there are some fantastical derivatives of this, e.g. economic empowerment, power base, economic viability, and it carries on and on. But as long as one remembers that these are just terms or words to describe something else, you are fine. They are all inherently empty! And why should one remember that they are empty? Well, come the day that your consciousness goes to the in-between bardo, it does so alone. And suddenly all material possessions have to be left behind and we see them for what they truly are, namely just another attachment we had.

But this is all digressing a bit now, so to get back to money, power and glory, one begins to realise that the general consensus is that as long as you are dealing with something tangible, like gold, diamonds and hard currency, then it is real and a force to be reckoned with. But, anything non-tangible, like thoughts, knowledge and wisdom, are insubstantial and thus not readily negotiable. And how does this tie up with the power of the Christian calendar? Well, it seems most predominantly Christian countries were the pioneers in terms of modern technology. They are the ones who also initially sent out explorers, to ‘discover’ new land and in the process also try to enforce their religion upon whomever they might encounter.

And I suppose hand in hand with this, the modern western world became materialistically orientated. Every ‘new’ country or land they came upon was then subjected to their ideas, ideologies and concepts. Thus also the calendar as we know it today. Many other religions have had their Y2K a couple of hundred years ago already, since they do not start counting from the birth of Christ. Well, where then does this leave Christ in the Buddhist concept of things?

I think most Buddhist schools, or paths and traditions, accept that Christ did live, that he did many wholesome deeds, and consequently they recognise him for that. Though they do not see him so much as the son of God, since in Buddhism there is no place for God as a supreme creator and ruler, they do acknowledge him as a Bodhisattva. By definition a Bodhisattva is a being which is enlightened, or which leads others towards enlightenment. And if the Bible is anything to go by, then Jesus Christ most certainly attempted to lead everybody that he came into contact with towards enlightenment.

Even if his teachings have not been disseminated the way he may have liked to have seen happening, they were predominantly based on tolerance, loving kindness, patience and compassion, charity and to respect all living beings impartially – all concepts which Buddhists should feel quite at home with. It is because of the all the good he did, the things he stood for, and the way he conducted himself, that he is recognised as a spiritually advanced and/or elevated being. Thus, Jesus Christ is there among all the many other Bodhisattva’s, whether it be Green Tara, Quan Yin, H.H. the Dalai Lama in the Buddhist teachings, or Florence Nightingale, Mother Theresa or Pope John Paul whatever in other beliefs. They are all recognised for their unflinching, selfless contributions in trying to help suffering sentient beings, and accepting all living beings, regardless of age, nationality, sex, skin colour, social standing or wealth, etc. as being one.

So you do not have to feel uncomfortable about celebrating Xmas as a Buddhist, it is totally acceptable if done in the right light. But do try to remember though that, now more than ever, the act of giving gifts or presents is a symbolical gesture that is supposed to encompass sharing, charity, kindness and many other wholesome aspects, and not a reflection of personal wealth. The cost and size of the gift is of less significance than the intention and emotion with which it is given.

(initially written 12/1999)

!O-3|-W;-

Compassion – Karuna (Skt)

2011-10-03T07:20:00.001+01:00

May I at the outset say that this is the personal interpretation and opinion of the writer and is thus subject to and in fact invites informed criticism.

It is said that Buddhism is based on the teaching of compassion. Often one hears somebody say: ‘Have a bit of compassion! or He/she helped that person out of compassion. or You are driving in peak hour traffic and someone comes tearing along from a side lane wanting to push in, but you ignore him. And the passenger with you says ‘Oh, have a bit of compassion and let him in!’ Now what exactly is this business of compassion? Does it affect Buddhists more than other people, and does it in any way impact on ones’ Karma?

Is it really just a matter of feeling, ‘ag shame, I’m sorry hey’. Or how does one approach this whole aspect without thinking: “Well, I guess it’s just your Karma lucky me this time round if I look away and stop thinking about it quick enough maybe I won’t feel guilty.” How does one go about being of use, or benefit, to help all those other suffering sentient beings in the rest of the world? What exactly does compassion or being compassionate mean?

We have a practice for invoking or generating compassion. How many Buddhists do the Chenrezig puja fairly regularly, and also do it mindfully, i.e. with the correct purpose and intention? Maybe there are many that don’t even know what Chenrezig is all about. They just love to hear the chanting, and then the overtones. After all it so soothing and relaxing, almost therapeutic. That it is too, but is that really why one should be doing it? Is there actually more to all of this than meets the eye, or ear, or is compassion really just feeling sorry for somebody else and then helping them in whatever way they want to be helped?

There is an easy way to answer this, but there is also a much more involved and deeper answer. The easy answer says that there will always be some sentient beings that are in need, and we should help them. So we do exactly that. We help them according do their needs! The only problem with this approach to compassion is that very often one runs the risk of it being “unequal” or “top-down” compassion. It means WE help, or give to, them because WE are more advanced, or wealthier, or stronger, or cleverer, than them. With this you can actually do more harm than good to the very beings that you are trying to help, because it very often engenders a sense of guilt or shame in the recipients, especially if they are human beings.

So true compassion should be based on equality. We are then obviously going to have to look at the deeper and more involved answer. Chenrezig is a Tibetan Buddhist practice, and Chenrezig was a bodhisattva. In Sanskrit, ‘bodhi’ implies enlightenment or the act of enlightening others and ‘sattva’ means being. Thus a bodhisattva is a being which is on the path of becoming enlightened or which is committed to leading others to enlightenment. It can be a monk, a nun, or an ordinary person like you and me. Interesting enough in Buddhist history the majority of bodhisattvas were in fact laity. One of the most important qualities of a bodhisattva is compassion. When a Bodhisattva is compassionate, it sees itself as being one and the same as the person toward whom it is being compassionate, and it is compassionate to all. This is one of the greatest distinctions in all of Buddhism. True compassion neither springs from feelings of superiority or pity, nor does it ever humiliate anyone, and it never asks for anything in return. Thus, in a very deep sense, one could say that in an act of true compassion there is neither a giver nor a recipient, since all sentient beings are one. There are no differences between any of us, hence it is said that your pain is my pain, just as your joy is mine, too.

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

(in Sanskrit) or Kuan-yin (in Chinese) is a symbolic representative of great compassion in the Mahayana vehicle of Buddhism. The great vow of this bodhisattva was to free all sentient beings from fears of any kind. Two sentences quoted from a famous verse read:

I shall go to thousands of places

In response to thousands of prayers.

In the vast sea of suffering,

I always serve as a ferry to deliver beings.

In this verse you may note that there is

1. no geographical limitation

2. no limit to the number of prayers to which the bodhisattva will respond

3. no restriction as to what kind of prayers will receive responses

4. no discrimination as to who is making the prayer

5. no interruption in serving; it continues day and night

6. no expectation of a reward of any kind

This is the great compassion one should learn. Surely not too much to ask for. And at this point some readers may think that this is quite similar to the ‘great love’ taught by Christ. Indeed, according to a Buddhist interpretation Jesus Christ was a great bodhisattva. On many occasions he taught his followers to give totally of themselves in the service of others. He himself even gave his own life.

It is recorded that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vowed not to become a Buddha until Hell wasn’t empty. That kind of vow is born only in the deepest realisation of truth and compassion. In order to live along similar lines basically involves something which is not very popular, especially in the western world, i.e. altruism or in other words putting others first. This does not imply that one now becomes a doormat. It means taking other’s feelings into consideration, to help where ever one can help and if one can not help, at least refrain from harming or destroying.

The Lotus Sutra says, “With great compassion we strive to save all sentient beings.” When most people speak about love, they make a distinction in their minds between themselves and other people. In contrast, true compassion makes no distinction between the self and others. Compassion stands in a position of dynamic mutuality. Compassion creates an ongoing relationship, which is not based on one’s own self interests. For this reason, we should do our utmost to have compassionate relations with everyone we love. At the same time, we should strive to have compassionate relations with all others as well. We should all work to develop pure hearts that benefit ourselves as well as others. As the old saying goes, we should ‘feel compassion for no reason, and kindness toward all beings.’

So let us take a look at what various dictionaries and thesauruses have to say about compassion. We will take a general tour of the word and see where it leads us. It has been defined as also meaning: (where the words in capital letters are the direct definition, and the words thereafter further defining them in turn)

FORGIVENESS – absolution, reprieve, sympathy

APPRECIATION – awareness, consciousness, understanding

TENDERNESS – affection, love, gentleness

CLEMENCY – humanity, kindliness, leniency

COMMISERATION – consolation, sharing, concern

PITY – condolence, charity, perception, sensitivity

FEELING – passion, empathy, consideration

MERCY – generosity, tolerance, forgiveness

HEART – sensitivity, kindness, spirit

KINDNESS – humanity, courtesy, generosity

CARE – attitude, thought, interest, respect

………

and some which don’t seem to have any connection what-so-ever, e.g. sharpness, delicacy, nicety. The very last thing anybody being compassionate should necessarily be, is nice. That is not to say that one should not try to be nice on top of everything else, but it is not a prerequisite for the basic act of being forgiving and caring, reaching out a helping hand where possible or being just plain civil towards all sentient beings.

Now many of these terms, words and expressions are very common, yet because they are so common they are difficult to fathom or be more specific about. How do you explain compassion to a complete stranger, or how many people in the world realise that being compassionate is much more than just giving food to a beggar, old clothes to the poor or books to charity.

Yet the opposite which is defined as for example cruelty, indifference, hatred, severity, (but which I suppose could also include burning characteristics of the five aggregates such as anger, ignorance, jealousy, pride and excessive desire) are strangely all terms or concepts which it would seem most people are fairly familiar with?

Among the secondary definitions of compassion are some with which we are more familiar than others, since they have been taught to us since childhood and we are in turn teaching them to our children. Take love. We all know what love is.

In the English language there is only one word for love, but in Greek there are four words:

AGAPE – is a choice; a commitment; a brotherly or God love.

DILIGO – neighbourly love; to love your enemy like yourself.

EROS – sexual love; love between man and woman.

PHILEO – happens to you; is an emotion; dear, fond or friend love.

So, depending on the context in which and how it is used, it will describe exactly what type of love is meant or intended.

And who doesn’t know the meaning of charity. We all have heard of charity organisations, and many of us have probably even worked for such an organisation at some time or other. Every winter old clothes are collected, at other times books or food, money, pots and pans, you name it, there are always charity organisations in need of things, for people and animals who are suffering in one or more ways.

CHARITY

open-handedness, tolerance, patience, indulgence (lenience)

So, did you know that charity also means tolerance, patience and indulgence?

TOLERANCE

endurance, stamina, patience, forbearance, sufferance, but also:

open-mindedness

- which means:

impartiality, liberality, allowance, variation, magnanimity, leniency and once again

COMPASSION!

Now a rather interesting word that a crossword dictionary showed up and which immediately reminded me of Rob Nairn’s description of compassion, is:

SENSIBILITY

“The discerning ability to help in an appropriate manner. It is not a sentimental emotion. It is vital active knowledge of what is appropriate in a given situation”, where I suppose the emphasis here obviously is on appropriate. Also note that dictionaries define sentimental as syrupy; idealistic; romantic; sappy and/or simpering, and essentially these will lead to an insincere and artificial character and/or personality, which in turn will ultimately benefit no one in the long run. One should at all times be mindful and practical, i.e. sensible.

To sum up. Buddhist compassion brings the small self of the individual into an ongoing relationship with the larger self of the whole world. Buddhist compassion teaches us to not just think of ourselves, but to think of the good of all sentient beings. Compassion can be thought of as a higher form of love or as a purified form of love. Compassion is like the sky. It takes the heavens as its perspective, while all things under it are the objects of its concern.

The Avatamsaka Sutra says, “The Bodhisattva is compassionate because he sees the need for compassion among sentient beings. Once his mind has become compassionate, he nurtures his Bodhi nature. Because he nurtures this nature, he moves closer to full Buddhahood.

As far as Karma is concerned at this point in time one can only touch on the subject. To really explore the possibilities, probabilities and related intricacies involves far more than there is space for here, and could possibly be dealt with in a subsequent article. But let me briefly list the twelve types of Karma and then everybody can decide for themselves which one, or more, and in what way, they think it will affect them.

Classification of Karma as it Produces Fruit

Immediately effective Karma

Subsequently effective Karma

Indefinitely effective Karma

Lapsed Karma which becomes inoperative

Generative Karma which conditions future birth

Supportive Karma

Counteractive Karma

Destructive Karma

Weighty or Serious Karma

Death proximate Karma

Habitual Karma

Cumulative Karma which lies dormant and becomes active in the presence of other supporting Karma

To briefly touch on the traffic situation, let me assure you that the best way to be compassionate is by adhering to the rules of the road and enforcing the traffic ordinance. Be courteous and polite, but most of all be mindful. Know that you are not on a playground, but that you have your own and other people’s lives in your hand - so stop playing around. Don’t try to take chances. And just because you have got your indicator on it does not give you an automatic right to drive, change direction or turn off. Only once it is safe to do so. Seem obvious to you? Well not so to thousands of other road users. But that is a topic all on its own.

And if all of that is too much to cope with, perhaps start off with a bit of tenderness at home, some politeness in public or a friendly smile at the workplace; when the other person least expects it. Who knows what might happen?

Finally that famous quote which I don’t know where it comes from, but I can only assume be Cape Town: ‘Practice random kindness’, and senseless acts of beauty!’ You can’t go wrong.

Free references made to:

Mayflower II – CT Chen

A Letter to Members of the BLIA – Ven Master Hsing Yun

Tranquil Mind – R Nairn

(Originally written September 1998)

KA27 8NX - Blog link 1

2011-10-03T02:54:00.000+01:00

Forever Poor

2011-09-28T03:16:00.002+01:00

Most people go through life with one main aim or goal, and that is to enrich them self. Unfortunately due to the way most of us have been programmed, i.e. brought up, we mainly focus on financial and material aspects, and occasionally also knowledge wise, but invariable only towards attaining an education which will hopefully enable us to access financial and material things easier in our lives. It is very seldom that one gets an individual who is focused on developing her- or himself spiritually.

And essentially there is nothing wrong with somebody being materially or money driven, provided it does not get done at the exclusion of all else, or otherwise to an extreme. There is also nothing wrong with someone being extremely or filthy rich. Never begrudge somebody their wealth, provided it was attained legally and legitimately, and that that individual is also neither greedy nor stingy. Many people feel that part of the problem in society, or in the world as a whole for that matter, is due to the imbalance between the haves and the have-nots.

Well that is not what karma says about the whole saga. If in a past lifetime you created the causes and conditions to accumulate unwholesome karmic retribution now, then that is your own doing. Don’t expect others to now be responsible for your existence, to feel sorry for you, or to be made to feel guilty because of your perception that you have been given a raw deal this time round. Just because you cannot remember what you did in a past lifetime does not exonerate you from your karmic inheritance, and it is best to embrace the situation and get on with life.

But most people who are less well-off do not see life as such, and they go through life feeling that they have been done an incredible injustice, and that life is unfair and others must be made to ‘pay’ for their ‘misfortune’. That way they obviously not only never learn from their actions, and accordingly perpetuate their karmic retributions, but they also do not accept responsibility for their actions. And accordingly they remain intricately ensnared in their little circle of miserable existence of life and death, within the bigger wheel of Samsara.

There are also many who do not fall within this category, but who still do not make the most of their lives because they continually keep moving the goal post. Can you remember when you were a kid you would always think “if only”! “If only I had a beautiful/handsome girl/boy friend, then I would be happy”. “If only I had the latest album, jeans, book, poster, etc. then I would be happy. But no sooner did you have that girl- or boyfriend, or that poster or jeans or whatever, and then you had your sights set on something else. “If only I was finished with school, then I would have it made”. And once you finished school “if only I was at college or university then I would be content”. No sooner were you studying, and then you would think “if only I had a car or a motorbike, then I could drive around, visit all my friends, give people rides, and then I would be happy.” Eventually you got that bike or car, and then it was “if only I was finished studying and had this or that job, then I would be happy”. And soon you graduated, and you got a job, and then it was “if only I had my own place, apartment, house, then I could really enjoy life”. And no sooner do you leave home and have your own ‘place’ and then you thought or wished “if only I was married and had children, then I would be content.” Soon you were married and had your own family, and now it became “if only I could afford a bigger/better house, or a second home as a holiday place, or timeshare for vacations, etc. and then life would be great.” And over time you also attained that goal, and you kept on chasing after the next dream or illusion.

Just stop for a moment and ask yourself why this is an illusion, and also why do you do the things you do, or engage in the behaviour you allow yourself to get caught up in? Most people spend their entire life amassing material things, either money, or shares, or property, or cars, or clothes and jewellery and all sorts of other stuff, like titles, degrees and positions in society, which they believe they absolutely most have in order to be happy or to make their lives meaningful, but which very quickly loose their appeal. So why do they do it?

Even worse, come the day that they die, and that day definitely will come, just how much of that amassed stuff, whether material or financial, whether status or position in society, do they get to take with them? And the more physical things you own, the more you have to worry about in life in general, but more specifically in terms of not loosing it due to theft, damage, or gradual and natural decay. All your life you have to worry about insurance, security, maintenance, and on and on and on. What for?

So you begin by making yourself unhappy by desiring things you do not have, possibly even getting quite distressed if you can not get what you desire, and then once you have them you worry about losing them again by whatever means. That is really suffering! But, it is also part of the whole illusion we call life. Most people are so busy accumulating things which they believe they must have in order to live, that they never really get a chance to actually live.

Whatever became of wanting what you have, and not having what you want? There are precious few people who are quite happy with what they have in life, because most are too busy chasing after what they think they must have, to actually realise what they are doing to themselves. There is this misguided belief that in order to be successful you have to have something to ‘show’ for yourself. And what better way to ‘show’ (off) then to have a big house in an expensive suburb, with a big fancy luxury car or two in the driveway, being married with a couple of kids who go to posh private schools (even if they are not doing very well at school, so what, the main thing is that they are at a private school), having a position of standing at some big or well-known business, owning timeshare or a holiday ‘cottage’ somewhere at the beach or in the mountains, being a member of various ‘exclusive’ clubs or organisations, and blah blah blah.

We have been programmed to believe that the only way that you can be a success, the only way of gauging somebody’s ability to make something of their life, is on hand of what they can show materially. Accordingly society has come to accept that success is intricately linked to something material, financial, or status or position in society. If you do not somewhere or somehow fall into at least one of these categories, then you have failed with your life. Sad but true!

The more material wealth you have, the more successful you are in life. Essentially, the richer financially you are, the more successful you are. All else is secondary. And what else is there? Well, there is health, there is happiness, or content-ness, there is being at peace with life or having tranquillity in your life, essentially the whole aspect of being able to just live. So very few people are able to just live and let live, because there is always something to worry about. And the Buddha already spoke about the eight forms of suffering just under 2600 years ago, namely four which nobody can escape from being the suffering of birth, the suffering of sickness, the suffering of old age, and the suffering of death. And then there are the four sufferings which we can exercise some degree or measure of control over, namely not getting what we want, loosing what we have, being separated from those that we love, and encountering those that we dislike, or fear.

Since society mainly recognises material wealth as success or achievement, it is also quite easy to see why there are so many poor people in the world. Few people realise that many of these people are only poor in terms of modern human made criteria, particularly in terms of the so-called advanced modern society. And somebody who has very few material possessions, but has extremely good health, or is at peace with life, or content with what they have, will most likely also be considered to be poor by virtue of not really having anything much to show for themselves.

So where does that leave us? It would appear that when you finally die -- and as I said before, we all WILL die some day -- but on that day the more material possessions you have, the more successful you were in life! At least that is the premise in many societies nowadays. Has anybody ever stopped to consider that you cannot take any of those wonderful and expensive material items with you to wherever it is we go hereafter? No seriously, you leave everything behind! No matter how much you accumulate in your lifetime, if it is in a material form, you do not get to take an iota of it with you. Not a fraction of anything – everything stays here for somebody else. Quite possibly for the family to fight over, or otherwise for the next person to worry about! Well at the very least somebody has to be executor of your last will and testament.

And since you have to leave it all behind, you could very well be asking yourself “what was this all about?” Why did you spend you entire life chasing after rainbows, and reflections in some mirror, window or pond? Were all of your life’s efforts in vain? Did any of what you did, said and thought matter much, or make any difference at all? That is seriously an important question you should be asking yourself! But you should be asking yourself that question now already, and not only when your current life has come to an end. You may want to argue that in terms of the Buddhist teachings you will be reborn again in any case and you will thus have a another chance to make amends or to improve matters. Possibly, but why waste valuable time? Why not make the most of the limited time you have available at your disposal right now, and move towards enlightenment with leaps and bounds?

The only things you can take with you, are the things you learnt and experienced, as well as the results of all of your thoughts, speech, and actions or deeds. And that is why it is so important to be mindful at all times. Be very clear about all of your thoughts, about all of your speech, and most importantly all of your actions. The things that you do and say are the easiest to monitor and control. But everything originates as a thought.

Obviously we need certain material things in order to live comfortably, and in some cases just to live per se. We need food, clothing, shelter in various forms, transport, at times medical care, and many more things which could be considered necessities, depending on where you live and what you do for a living. But as long as you allow yourself to get caught up in materialism, as long as you are focused on material things at the exclusion of all else, so long you will remain forever poor.

(Originally written December 2005)

!O-3|-W;-

Attached to Attachment?

2011-08-18T21:47:00.002+01:00

Very often when one is confronted with a term or concept which has been given a new or different meaning to the one customarily associated with it, it helps if one goes back to its roots. By determining what the original and proper meaning was, or what it’s common usage is, one can more readily relate to its adopted meaning.

When we refer to a dictionary, we are informed that ‘attach’ means to bind or fasten; to connect or associate; to join in action, function or affection; to seize or arrest. And attachment consequently is the continuing action of doing those very acts. But then how does this relate to ourselves, our ‘self’ and our mind. How did egocentric-grasping come to be related to attachment. After all, most of the descriptive terms refer to physical objects. Most, except ‘to associate’, which for the greater part is a mental act of comparison and relation, and then possibly also ‘to join in affection’.

Whenever we indulge in one of the mind poisons, like deluded thinking and ignorance, hatred and anger, desire, jealousy, or pride, we are inclined to linger on these thoughts. It is as if we want to savour every little bit of them. We are afraid that if we let go of them too soon, then we may not have exhausted their full potential. And in a way that is true. But, have you ever thought what exactly it is that you are trying to make the most of?

We experience our surroundings by means of our senses, i.e. we perceive by seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. And then from the information that is fed to our brain, we assimilate, interpret, analyse and finally create our reality. Depending on where, how, when and by whom we were raised, our reality might conform with the general reality of the people or community around us, we have a converging reality, or we may feel very out of place, consciously or other. With this is meant that we may feel contend in ourselves, but at the same time perceive everybody and everything around us as being out of place, i.e. wrong.

If we feel we fit into the present scenario as we are experiencing it, then we will be satisfied, possibly even ecstatic, with the way things are and we will want this situation to continue indefinitely. We will want to cling to this state of bliss, no matter how slight it may be. It is familiar to us, and it pleases us. But if it makes us feel uncomfortable, either due to it being unfamiliar and thus we cannot associate with it or relate to it, or because we can do exactly that but we do not recall it being to our liking, then we will deny or negate it. And again our mind will want to do something with this state of affairs. It just cannot leave it be and let go. There is after all so much emotion, sensation, and feeling in this perception that it is worth experiencing over and over, until every possible angle and approach has been examined to the nth degree.

Only once we, or our mind, is satisfied that it has totally exhausted all possibilities with regard to a particular situation, will that event be allowed to be put to rest, unless some other more intense or acute event distracts and allows the process to reengage on other sensations beforehand. Our mind attaches to the new sensations and perceptions, and the regurgitating drain begins again. Every single bit of imagery that we can recall, down to the tiniest detail, is replayed over and over in our mind. We really make sure that we experience this past event, or event to happen in the future, prim and proper. Nothing is left out. Every conceivable possibility or deviation is put to the test. How we should have handled, or will handle, the situation when it happens / again.

How many people ever seriously consider the fact that you can only experience a particular situation, or moment, once. And that is as it happens. Before it may never come to fruition, and thereafter it is the past and at most of academic value. You are not going to change anything about that which has happened. You can learn from it, if you are wise enough, but no matter what, you can not and will not change that which has happened. Nobody can turn back the hands of time. You can certainly review the past, but that is all. No chance of changing. No Sir! None what-so-ever. You most definitely can create a new set of events, related to that particular occurrence, but you are still not going to alter the original set of events. This is once again due to impermanence prevailing.

But this inherent characteristic of wanting to repeatedly shape the future or change the past is what attachment is all about. We cannot let things be the way they happen naturally. Our ego dictates that we will have an influence on our surroundings. They are after all our surroundings. Not the general surroundings. Not just surroundings. Nor even everybody’s surroundings. They are OUR surroundings. And we damn well will have them be the way WE desire. Not the way society wants, nor the way the community wants, and even less the way some other stranger wants. Whatever happens around ME must be to MY liking or I will be affected in a way I do not like. That is all there is to it.

After all, as soon as we start living in the moment, with the moment, for the moment, with our only aspiration being to benefit everybody else around us, we might loose our identity. That is how we have been brought up, or in more modern terminology, programmed. And horror over horror, we might even become detached from our concept of ‘self’. And without a ‘self’, or as it is more commonly referred to an ego, to relate to, what are we. If we do not have this ego to steer us through life, we seem to think we will become selfless and lost. The concept in most beings’ minds, at least if not all sentient beings then at the very least human beings, is that we are everything. Very few realise that it should actually be the other way around. Everything is us.

But, as soon as we come to this realisation, or have this awakening, then a lot of other things also start falling into place. Let go of your concept of ‘self’, and you loose your attachment to most other things in life. Real or imagined. And without the ‘self’ coming in the way of emotions, conversations, things other people say, what happens around you, what is expressed about the way you look, how you dress, your likes and dislikes (oh yes, your are still allowed to have preferences and make choices), and a myriad of other things, life suddenly becomes almost easy and painless. That’s right, you stop to suffer.

You may well still wonder what attachment has to do with this. It is simply because we attach so much relevance or importance to our ego and how it relates to everything else about and around it. You can have preferences, but as soon as you become attached to your likes or dislikes, you cause yourself suffering. You can form opinions, you can create your own heaven or hell around you, which in itself will cause you suffering, you can even try to structure the environment around you to your own liking, but the moment you try to impose, or even worse inflict, it upon other sentient beings, then you will also start to cause them suffering. Unless your concept of reality should converge with their concept of reality, in which case you could possibly have a co-merging reality. But that is another topic altogether. Just as why the creation of heaven around you can cause suffering, if not to others, most definitely to yourself.

And how does one remedy this aspect, or affliction, of attachment. Very simply by letting go. And this is once again easier said than done. Especially when most people have been brought up in a materially orientated world. That does not mean that you have to have grown up in affluence, but you will most certainly have become acutely aware of the material wealth around you, and that you are either a ‘have’ or a ‘have-not’. And generally it is perceived that the ‘haves’ are better of than the ‘have-nots’. Whether this is so, is totally irrelevant at this point in time. What does matter though is, that as soon as you awaken to the fact that there is nothing on this planet earth that you can take with you one day when you depart, your attachment to luxury and abundance also begins to wane.

Nobody is saying you now have to give up everything and that it is pointless to work for things you may need. What you should do though, is to reconsider the things you want. Contemplate why you want them, and whether you really need them. After all, does an expensive luxury car take you that much softer, quieter, faster or whatever to the end of your journey, than an average priced car? How often do you listen to the CD which you absolutely had to have. Or was it just being able to say you have got it, or had it the day it came out? And for how long will you continue to listen to it? Every day for a week. Thereafter once a week, then once a month, then once a year. And after that you can proudly say you have got it. But if you are perfectly honest, you can’t recall when last you played it. How many dresses or pants or shirts can you wear how often, and why can’t you be seen dead or alive in the same T-shirt or sweater twice. Just how many people are seriously going to remember what you were wearing on a particular day, unless of course it was so far-out and outrageous that nobody else would be seen dead or alive in it. Strange is it not, that most people will wear the same jacket, coat or windbreaker more than once, but not what is underneath?

And at the end of the day, what really matters is not what is underneath the coat, or even underneath the clothes underneath the coat, but what is inside them. Hmmm. Ever stop to think about that, and forget to start again?

Something to ponder on:

In an old Buddhist tale there were two monks who were walking to a monastery. On the way they had to cross a fairly deep, rapidly flowing river. At the rivers edge was a woman standing wondering how to get to the other side, since she did not want to get her dress wet, and couldn’t very well take it off. The older monk noticed the woman's dilemma and said to her, "Come, let me help you get across." He picked her up, waded through the waist deep river, and put her down on the other side. The two monks then continued their journey to the monastery. That night the younger monk had a restless sleep, knowing that as monks they had taken vows not to come in contact with women, and fretting about the fact that his brother had broken that vow. The next morning he said to the elder, "I cannot contain myself any longer. You know that as monks we are not supposed to look at women, let alone touch them. Why did you pick her up?" The older monk was totally surprised and said, "I only picked her up to put her down on the other side of the river. You are the one who is still carrying her around!"

(Originally written July 1999)

!O-3|-W;-

A Matter of Faith

2011-08-18T21:33:00.000+01:00

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with Krishna. He asks one of his new students to stand and.....

Prof: You are a Hare Krishna, aren't you, son?

Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to Krishna to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But Krishna didn't. How is this Krishna good then? Hmm?

(The student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?

Student: No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?

Student: From...God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?

(The student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?

(The student has no answer.)

Prof: Tell me, son. Do you believe in Krishna?

Student: Yes, professor, i do.

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Krishna?

Student No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your Krishna?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Krishna, smelt your Krishna? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Krishna or God for that matter?

Student: No, sir. i'm afraid i haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your Krishna doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student: Nothing. i only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, megaheat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light.....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.

Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class is in uproar .)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?.....No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

~ plagiarised from somewhere. Please own up! ~

KA27 8NX - Blog link 1

2011-08-16T20:11:00.000+01:00

Panoramic Views on Arran 2

2011-07-30T06:48:00.000+01:00

Another view across Kildonan, with different weather conditions, so perhaps some aspects are better visible.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=70f94ae3-50ec-4e6b-8f4d-90b1eb8c5fcf

View around Lochranza, with the famous castle which was part of the inspiration of the 'design' of the castle in Tintin's "The Black Island".
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=6f94eab8-9c65-4738-a3e4-9bb31386652e

Looking at Whiting Bay and across the bay at Holy Isle from the south.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=cbf606b8-8584-4596-84c4-0b105a00c2e5

Same view as the very first panoramic sequence taken December 2010, just outside of Lamlash on the Ross Road, except that this was taken July 2011.

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=a7561f70-3570-40b5-8e2b-798fd17b2b38

180° panoramic view of Machrie Bay and Tormor.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=f2787c3c-59c3-45a4-b815-e967cd1bcd32

270° view from the Mull of Kintyre across Machrie Bay, the Moor where the Stone Circles and Standing Stones can be found, almost up to Torbeg.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=52f656ce-5f04-4b22-8dbe-01581cb88c2a

Looking the caves at Kings Cave on the west side of Arran.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=5d13a849-9db1-4124-8375-39b19d792c54

When inside one of the caves looking out in a westerly direction where the Mull of Kintyre is.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=bfe6eb9d-8822-4a42-bf28-f6b4d62d4db7

Elementary Mindfulness

2011-07-28T21:41:00.000+01:00

Generally, as humans, we are fairly unmindful most of the time. The majority of people aren’t even aware of something like mindfulness, and so when they encounter it for the first time there is some confusion as to what is being referred to. Most know what mindlessness is, and they would accept lacking intelligence, being stupid, and not requiring any thought or skill, as being quite acceptable comparisons. But does that mean that the opposites are what being mindful are all about? Not necessarily, and being aware of what is happening, as it is happening, or being present in the moment, with the moment, for the moment, are probably better ways of defining it.

But, one needs to realise that it is doing so, without engaging in the moment, or getting caught up in it. A good example would be a cat which is trying to catch a bird. The cat is fully focused on the bird, but it is also fully aware of its’ surroundings. It is a case of having bare or pure attention, where the bare and pure refer to keeping it as it is, without adding anything, deducting anything, or discriminating about it in any way what so ever. It means not analysing, interpreting, or judging the observation. Keeping it plain and simple. Thus having interest, without engaging, and observing everything as it arises or occurs, but without trying to discover its source, or purpose, or meaning. You recognise it, and then you let go.

It would appear the one person in modern times that could best do this, was none other than fictions greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes. And those who are very familiar with Doyle’s stories and text, will know that Holmes’s only religious interest was as an eclectic religious seeker, especially regarding Eastern belief systems. In “The Sign of Four” Watson speaks of Holmes having made a study of many aspects, and considering the study of Hinayãna Buddhism could initially seem rather strange, until one looks a bit further. This oldest form of Buddhism, considered to be the most accurate or closest to what the Buddha taught in his time, demonstrates the Buddha as being rational, cool, calm, emotionally somewhat distant or removed, and intellectually strict and rigorous; unflinching at all times, yet wise or apparently all-knowing.

And as such even Holmes is at times described as sitting cross-legged on the floor, like some strange kind of Buddha. And when he was having his three-year absence, when everybody thought him killed by Moriarty, two of those years were spent in Tibet, or as it is quoted he “amused himself by visiting Lhasa and spending some days with the head lama”. And it is also after this time that he ceased needing to use drugs to calm his mind, possibly due to having completed his Buddhist initiation and becoming proficient in observing his mind, and his surroundings. Thus he managed to take control of his mind and becoming all-aware, thus able to observe without engaging or getting caught up in anything in any way.

There are many instances where Holmes demonstrates his mindfulness, by explaining in great detail how he arrived at the conclusion that he arrived at. And at least once Watson is found to be of the opinion that he himself would, at the very least should, be capable of doing exactly what Holmes himself is doing. As he points out, his eyes are as good as Holmes’, and he also says, “when you give your reasons, the thing appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that even I can do it myself, though at every instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you explain your deductive process. And this is when Holmes reveals: “Indeed you see, but you do not observe.”

Because people generally see without observing, and hear without listening, they in addition also get caught up in trivia, thus allowing themselves to be deluded in to what is relevant and what is not. Humans are so prone to discriminate and try to add value to every experience, instead of just experiencing, and then letting go. ‘All’ humans tend to think that there is one reality that they have to try and analyse, in order to be able to understand it, and hopefully be able to fit in or adjust to. But in reality there is no reality, only perception. And what we perceive, together with our prior programming (experiences) forms our very own reality.

True enough, there are certain realities which more than one individual hold as true, like for example global reality, societal reality, national reality, and consensual reality, to name a few. But at the end of the day it all begins with and boils down to perception. And perception is dependant on the initial input, i.e. what we hear and see, but more importantly what we observe and listen.

Having said that, one needs to realise that all our perceptions are dependant on our sense faculties, our seeing, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and cognitive or reasoning abilities. They are what allow us to experience our surroundings most of the time. How well we perceive those surroundings, and how much information we obtain, how much wisdom is subsequently able to develop, that depends entirely on our mindfulness. And for most people this means seeing things the way Watson sees them, whereas Holmes knows, like the Buddha did, that anybody can reach insight merely by being mindful.

Five aspects that should be taken into consideration, which come directly from Sherlock Holmes, are that Nothing is Little, Notice what you See, The Ordinary is Deceptive, The Bizarre is not necessarily Mysterious, and finally Presume Nothing.

Early on in his career Holmes tells Watson that “they say genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains”, but considers it to be a rather inapt definition. Yet he felt that it did hold true for detective work, where the pains, as he explains to a befuddled policeman is, that “to a great mind, nothing is little.” The little things are the indicators as to what ultimately is important. After all, everything is trivial once viewed in hindsight, but, eternity consists of these trivia piled high. If one does not allow oneself to add anything to what is not there apparently, then one should arrive at what is only there.

When it come to ‘noticing what one sees’, there is a little interlude where Watson remarks that Holmes draws his deduction from details ‘quite invisible’. But Holmes does not accept this and replies “not invisible, but unnoticed”. So even once we accept that the little things are important, we still need to ‘notice’ what we are seeing. It is also written “the world stands before us in perfect clarity; it is our lenses (senses) of attention that are clouded and obscured. And this is essentially what the Buddha also always alluded to, that we all have Buddha nature, we all have the potential for enlightenment, but due to ignorance and delusion we do not realise it. Our mind is like a mirror, which has collected a layer of dust. Due to the obscuration it is unable to reflect anything. But just because it is now unable to reflect, does not deprive it of its potential to reflect. And if only a small area is cleaned, that is like a realisation, like an awakening, and if the entire surface were cleaned, that would be like enlightenment.

During an interlude in The Hounds of Baskervilles, when friends deduce that Watson had been in his club all day, and after their reasoning is explained he replies “well, it is rather obvious”. And to this Holmes utters, “the world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes”. And this is also where the saying of not seeing the wood for the trees comes from, where in the world of the intimately familiar we readily lose sight of what is important. Holmes further said: “There is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace.

Most humans are so caught up in their delusion, their comfort zones, that any attempt at breaking free and growing is quite inconceivable. The mere fact that the majority live most of their days either in the past or in the future, and the complete futility of this, eludes them. They are so convinced that in order to grow they have to regurgitate the past countless times, and they also have to enact (plan) the future a myriad times, before anything beneficial can possibly come from it.

(initially written 4/2002)

!O-3|-W;-

Panoramic Views on Arran

2011-07-23T04:02:00.000+01:00

The very first panoramic sequence taken December 2010, just outside of Lamlash on the Ross Road.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=aa971b7c-7312-4188-9c9c-d60e47d89aad

Our current (July 2011) view when looking in a south-easterly direction.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=0bc10327-b3b2-41a1-9991-5dc1f2f8b813

The view across Lamlash Bay, with Holy Isle on the very right.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=687ba8d1-78dd-4cff-970b-eacc8865deae

Looking northwards with Lamlash Bay on the very left, and moving towards the right looking across and at Holy Isle in the east.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=bd4271d0-d6fd-4a1d-92a6-b0f422fb86ef

When looking out southwards at Kildonan on the very southern end of the Isle of Arran.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=70f94ae3-50ec-4e6b-8f4d-90b1eb8c5fcf

The view across the picturesque village of Blackwaterfoot.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=e8888fc3-1efe-4c2c-96bc-6ee10451ea6e

Outside Blackwaterfoot on the road towards the Machrie Moor Stone Cirles, looking across at Ballymichael and Shiskine.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=dd7aa6f5-17e4-462f-951d-7a89871884e7

Glen Iorsa, on the west coast of Arran, about halfway between Machrie and Whitefarland.
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=fd03b21f-0efd-4232-959d-99576bcb9eee

Looking southwards from the old pier at the bottom of Brodick Castle, across the bay of and at the village of Brodick.
http://photosynth.net/edit.aspx?cid=f380ce67-10aa-4ea2-a714-fe21f6ecd29d

Going Round in Stoned Circles

2011-07-06T18:52:00.000+01:00

In this instance some of the stones (on the very right)
were ground down by subsequent inhabitants,
and an attempt made to use them as mill stones.

I have, so I believe, been criticised for only writing about self-development and human behaviour aspects, and not about the beauty of the countryside or scenery, or the history and natural sciences of the island. Now that is not entirely true, because I did plagiarise some information about the history, plus I did mention the natural beauty and the whole aspect of micro climates. As far as history and natural sciences goes it is perhaps a bit early for me to be able to say too much. In order to address this shortcoming though, I took a little trip to a very famous site here on the island on Saturday afternoon after finishing up in the kitchen. It is generally known as the Machrie Moor Stone Circles, and is on the western side of the island, just more than 5km beyond Blackwaterfoot.


Approaching Blackwaterfoot from the south, on my way to Machrie Moor.

Almost dead centre of this photo is where the majority
of the Mackrie Moor cirles are located.

At the outset I do have to say, though, that this is not a unique feature here. The island is literally full of stone circles and standing stones, as well as cairns, but the Machrie Moor circles are probably the most famous and also most visited. So over time you will possibly also get to read a bit more about the others, as well as some of the standing stones, which also abound. One of the main reasons why the Machrie Moor ones are probably more visited than many others is that they are very easily accessible, whereas many of the others require a fair amount of cross-country walking. From the tar road it is a just over a kilometre walk along a fairly decent cart track, and as I cycled there it was even easier for me, once I had lifted my bicycle over the initial fence. The main access gate is kept locked to ensure visitors get some exercise, and do not just drive right up to the circles. Oh yes, it is plural, as there are quite a number of circles at this location.

The display board at the entrance to the very first cairn
one encounters.

So to start off, after parking your car you have to climb over the fence, which is fairly easy as steps have been provided for this purpose. You then cross through sheep fields and enjoy a leisurely stroll towards the actual site. The first encounter with the past here is a stone cairn, which it is reckoned was used as a burial site for a very important or significant person at the time. At what time, you ask? Well, apparently those particular circles date back around 2000BC, and possibly even earlier. There is definitely evidence of human habitation dating back to the Bronze Age and before, but the circles are for now dated at about 2000BC. The people living there at the time appear to have had a fairly well-structured society and distinct agricultural knowledge, as well as spiritual practise, yet they vacated the area around 700BC. Interestingly enough it appears as if they left due to climate change.

The same circle from a little further away. Just above my
bicycle one can make out a standing stone, and the
remaining circles start in the middle of the photo,
between the two rocks to the right of the bush dead centre.

A display board showing the possible construction of
the round huts the locals of the time lived in.

It would seem that possible rising water levels caused them to seek higher ground, whereas before they practised extensive cultivation of the land, and lived in round houses made from stone and clay, with wood and thatch roofs. With the location being near the Machrie River, due to the rising water the area over time became a moor, effectively preserving much of what was left behind. There is an excellent chance that a great deal of archaeological and geological, as well as probably historical, artefacts and discoveries still await those who seek. However with it being largely a moor, or mainly clay ground, digging is not that easy, provided you know where to look in the first place. It would seem that in some instances they happened to ‘stumble’ across the cairn, for example, quite literally by accident. In addition there is the whole aspect of previous inhabitants over the years obviously not being too concerned about history, or preserving any prior structures, and thus often such structures where just ignored. In the one instance, for example, a cart track went through one of the circles for many years before somebody realised the significance of the stones.

The one standing stone which was just above my
bicycle, with the three other standing stones of an
actual circle in the distance.

There are various places along the coastline where visual indicators also suggest that the sea level was much higher at one time than it is now. The same can be witnessed on adjoining Holy Isle, but we shall still get to that one with time. For now there are numerous other stone circles, standing stones, and also ruins or remains of stone forts to be explored in various locations across the Isle of Arran. In addition there are a number of significant caves, like Kings Cave fairly close to the Machrie Moor Stone Circles, as well as some Viking graves at Kingscross Point, the point closest to Holy Isle on the eastern side of Arran, somewhat between Lamlash and Whiting Bay.

This photo was taken about two to three weeks ago,
and by now s/he has actually grown quite substantially.
In a way I see her as my own little portable lawn mower.
Though s/he is a bit choosy, and may nibble at an apple,
but totally ignores carrots.

Wherever one goes, even if the weather is not always stunning, the scenery certainly always is. Especially at the moment with most vegetation enjoying summer growth, the island is largely a lush-ish green, with the occasional colour from various blossoms. There is an abundance of animal life, though so far most of what I have witnessed is not necessarily all that pleasant, or welcome. For this comment refer to my previous blog. ;-) Here at Glenscorrodale we have a fair amount of rabbits around, with the occasional hare as well. As you will see from my photos, there is one young rabbit that lives under my cabin, (she) is largely fairly tame towards me, but does not really like others being too close by. On two occasions it has allowed me to pat it, but generally it prefers not to be handled. Maybe the other rabbits complain about the fragrance of my hand lotion or something. I am told that there are also a substantial amount of deer, but as deer hunting is not just permitted but even encouraged in some parts, they generally tend to keep a very low profile.

Birdlife is in abundance, with especially the crows and seagulls being the most vocal. Occasionally one hears a cuckoo ‘shouting’ as well. Initially it was a novelty hearing them, but when they carry on for minute after minute, hour after hour, the novelty very quickly wears off. In addition there are various swallows/swifts, plus many other smaller birds, but largely they are just ‘birds’ to me, at least for now. Not sure what type they are, but perhaps one day I shall also pay more attention to their differences and unique characteristics. Most are possibly just sparrows in various forms, who knows, but they certainly have distinctly different plumage to the ones I am accustomed to from South Africa. The pheasants are very colourful, at times also rather noisy, and then there is a fairly wide variety of grouse. The occasional eagle has been spotted, some buzzards, plus a couple of other species that had been pointed out to me. But I have always had a preference for the non-feathered variety of birds and hence I did not always pay as much attention as I possibly would have otherwise.

An excerpt from my digital maps, of the area around
the Machrie Moor Stone Cirlces.

For additional, and also more detailed, information about the stone circles please follow the links below.

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/arran/machriemoor/index.html

http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/scotland/arran/featured-sites/machrie-moor-stone-circles.html

!O-3|-W;-

Dynamite Comes in Small Packages

2011-06-30T02:43:00.000+01:00

“Biting Midges in Scotland” is the title of an Information and Advisory Note that is available here, and the obvious answer is of course, “no, you may not bite them, but they will bite you”. Right, jokes aside, this little scourge is a real real nuisance. And with June being at an end we only still have about two and a half months, three tops, of them to put up with. If it comes to any contest between the little suckers winning, and that is what they are -- namely blood-suckers, or me freezing my butt off, I am afraid my butt loses out hands down. They do not like direct sun, nor extreme cold, and wind even less. But they are surprisingly well able to cope with cool temperatures, considering their body size and all, in comparison to humans. So with outside temperatures on an average of 10C does not bother them too much, they will even fly around and ‘hunt’ during temperatures as low as 3C, as long as it is fairly humid, preferably darkish, and definitely no wind or even a breeze. I guess being as small as they are makes manoeuvring the air currents a trifle difficult. They belong to the family Caratopogonidae which has 152 species in Britain. Most of them feed on the blood of other insects, but the ones that bite humans specialise in warm-blooded animals (yeah, that’s us), 20 species are known to feed from mammals, and 16 species have been recorded feeding from man. Though, as things evolve it is anticipated that more species will be recorded as feeding from man, for a variety of reasons.

As they look in pupae stage,
and immediately afterwards.

In Scotland the adult midges begin to emerge in April, and may be active up until October, though there are two peak periods namely end of May beginning of July (whoopee, done) and then again end of July to early August. The larvae are semi-aquatic, and so they drown in open water, or else desiccate in dry soil. Accordingly slight rain does not pose a problem or obstacle, only strong rain, and of course also dry spells. As they over-winter in their final instar and only pupate in spring that explains their resistance to cooler temperatures (little swines). It seems that so far there is no effective insecticide spray, apart from that their means of moving around, namely mainly ‘on the wind’, also makes spaying more difficult as well as hazardous to other life forms. In addition the moment you have zapped a couple of thousand by spraying them the next population emerges, and there is an almost constant supply of new additions. Thus the only real means of combating them is with repellents, which can largely be effective but not perfect. It is still best to try and avoid them altogether by covering yourself up as much as possible, and then applying various repellents to as little exposed skin as possible.

Typical standard midge
head net, though this one
should be worn over a hat.
Also available are ones with a
'yamukka' type of hat as
part of the whole arrangement.

There appears to be a fair selection of sprays and lotions that one can buy ready-made, though most of those who have had to tolerate these little critters for a while still reckon that the best is Neem Oil. This is a natural product, is usually bought in concentrated or pure form, and then mixed with an emulsifier. This is then kept in a spray bottle, and one just sprays oneself whenever one is going to venture outdoors, or anticipates being preyed upon indoors. It does have a slight odour or smell, which although ‘different’, is not entirely unpleasant. Perhaps it almost borders on the fringe of a mild mixture of garlic and pickled onion. Neem Oil is also the preferred method of treatment for horses and other livestock, especially since it is natural, invariably organic, and not all that expensive if purchased in even slightly larger quantities. The other preferred option, apparently also used by the Special Forces, is an Avon Cosmetics product called “Skin So Soft”. And as the name implies, it was originally produced and intended as a moisturiser, but then somebody discovered that once applied it also kept midges at bay. Depending on where and in what quantity one buys it, it is again somewhat affordable. There is also a growing array of chemical sprays and stuff, but most of them are not that good for ones wellbeing, nor for the environment. Indoors there is also the option of burning incense, but one does not necessarily want to do that all the time. On the natural product side there is also a growing support for citronella oil, but not everybody is that ‘convinced’ of its efficacy or efficiency, plus it does rather smell. All repellents eventually wipe off, or are ‘washed’ away through sweating, or by other means, thus all forms of repellent or combating them only reduces the number or severity of bites. Trust me; one way or another they’re gonna get you! But a little more about that later on when I mention the challenges that they seem to enjoy in their hunting escapades.


They are so small that normal mosquito netting merely amuses them. To create a proper barrier one needs extremely fine netting, to the point that a lot of air movement is actually also blocked out.

As I had indicated previously, midges are very small in comparison to a mosquito. Yet they appear to be designed with a few advantages over a mosquito, and then plus a few added skills and techniques. I think most people, even most Scots who grew up here, have no idea just how many midges there are. It is known how many accounted for different types, or species and hybrids or whatever there are, but actual little suckers, I doubt it. This is particularly significant in terms of Buddhism, and the whole aspect of being reborn in one of six realms, with them of course being in the animal realm. The question that is often asked is that if the global population of humans is increasing each year, or even daily, where are all the new ‘souls’ or consciousness’s coming from? Since there are six realms, all occupied with said consciousness’s (souls), all undergoing a different experience, naturally realm dependant, plus the Buddha having said that ours is not the only universe into which one could be reborn, then there is a very wide ‘pool’ from which these new people can come into being.

Those little black spots are some
of the midges that 'dried out'. This
is just one days accumulation, from
those which manage to snug inside
when one opens the door to enter
or exit. At times they also cling
to ones clothes.

The other thing we frequently also tend to overlook is that apart from there being far more animals on the planet than humans, with the largest percentage of them living in water, it means that with the human population increasing the animal population, or those in any of the other realms, must be and is decreasing. With our prowess at creating means and methods of destruction, quite a few million more animals, even if they are mosquitoes, flies, ants, and the likes, are killed off than ever before. On top of all of that, we are of course so adapt at doing this that we have managed to get quite a few species totally extinct. And with quite a few I do not mean in the tens, or even hundreds, no, we are far better at it than that. To get back to the actual number of midges, and in the absence of any formal census, which would in any event be extremely difficult as the little blithers only live for a very short while in any event, there must be billions upon billions. And each one of them wants to be happy, which they are usually most when they are busy feeding on some other being.

Typical type of netting to cover any
window which you intend to leave
open,even just for a brief moment.
Especially at night when you have
any lights on.

But I digress. The midge has a fairly short lifespan, apparently 20 to 30 days at most, and during that time it not only has to feed, but also mate and generally be happy, as all living beings are want to be. The problem is of course that invariably their happiness is often dependent on something or somebody else’s happiness or wellbeing, as with most other living beings as well. This is also more than evident with humans by the many disputes and wars and fighting and general discontent that is going on in the world today. In order to be able to feed the midge appears to enjoy a challenge in the sense that it prefers to target moving dark objects, though that could also just be ‘learnt’ experience, in that it means that that is something alive and hence contains blood. Where they are more adept to mosquitoes is that generally it appears they move and feed in swarms, whereas the mosquito tends to act as loner assassins. But the swarming has little to do with the actual feeding, and much more with breeding. In terms of feeding, due to their small size they are difficult to spot until it is too late, plus they are able to land so softly, that again you only realise they are there once they are busy feeding. Finally they are silent, unlike the mosquito assassin which ‘announces’ its approach and landing attempt well in advance (dumb fool) the midge is totally silent.

In feeding they really do not mind whether you are awake or sleeping, whether moving about or stationary. If it senses that you are food then it will go in for the kill. Some of the people here refer to them as little Bodhisattvas, which for the non-Buddhists reading this are beings which lead others towards enlightenment. And that they may do by enabling you to practise tolerance, compassion, charity, forgiveness, kindness, endurance, and perhaps even wisdom. Personally I prefer to leave them alone as long as they leave me alone, and to otherwise see myself as the Bodhisattva as I ensure that they have a more rapid opportunity for a more beneficial rebirth by slapping my hands together as I recite the mantra of compassion. Now that is the wisdom part, to know who is the more evolved being and to not allow others to use you as target practise nor as a fresh produce market.

!O-3|-W;-

Wasn't Me

2011-06-19T17:07:00.000+01:00

If one takes a look at some of the photographs included within this little blog right now, then one will discover a certain startling fact. Well, perhaps I am being presumptuous, but none the less, they all have one thing in common, and it is something which they should not have.

The glorious and humble sugar bowl; but bare.

Aside from the 'glorious' sugar bowl, which appears to be a standard tradition at retreat centres all over that I have been to. No, not the fact that they have sugar bowls, or similar dispensers, but what they are made from. There seems to be a 'need' to demonstrate the 'willingness' to recycle or reuse, or maybe something along those lines. It cannot be due to cost, since even an average sugar bowl, or similarly suitable glass or plastic receptacle is not that expensive. I have been to many retreat centres, and almost across the board they have this 'need' to use empty peanut butter, or margarine, or yoghurt containers as sugar bowls. At times they will even use them for the salt and pepper, as well as tea, coffee, biscuits or rusks, etc. though that is not as common as the humble sugar bowl.

Not another drop will spill.

There is of course, strictly speaking, nothing wrong with that either. I personally have not found that my tea is in any way tainted by the sugar having come out of an erstwhile peanut butter jar, or that it has in any other way inconvenienced me. Yet, there is none the less one aspect that surrounds or affects this humble receptacle which has on many occasions inconvenienced me. No, I am not even referring to the fact that people have a need to stick their own wet spoons into the bowl, causing lumps to be formed, and at the same time on occasion in the process also introducing all sorts of other oddments into the sugar. That is disgusting, to say the least, but that is also not what I am now referring to. What I am mentioning also affects other aspects within the confines and amenities of retreat centres, or in fact any place of communal existence. All are aspects by which most, if not all, people are affected.

It seems that there is a familiar phenomenon among humans, and that is no matter what happens or what the situation is, it was never anybody. Regardless of where, when, or what, nobody did it. Though this occurs everywhere in everyday life, I tend to become so much more aware of it while on retreat, but then also when one is living within confined quarters, with a limited or finite number of other people. It is only obvious that if a certain situation presents itself, which should not be, or which is not expected, than somebody must have been involved in or with it, or else somebody who should have been part of it, was not.

Oh woe is me, to rush in an see ...

There can be countless examples of this, but the more obvious, and to a certain extend I find more startling ones, are when something is finished. As in “empty”! Perhaps the reason why I find this so startling or even irritating, is that it happens seldom, if ever, that something is just suddenly finished. Invariably there are ‘tell-tale’ signs that it is going to be finished soon. So why is it then so difficult to make provision to ensure it can be easily replenished? Even more so when usually there is somewhere plenty of stock available. Take sugar, salt, dishwashing liquid, or toilet paper, it is something which in a centre is invariably bought in bulk, and hence there is a 10kg bag of sugar, 5 litre bottle of dishwashing liquid, pack of 48 rolls toilet paper, and so on. There is not a shortage as such. To make matters worse, invariably this supply is usually within maybe ten metres of where it is required, so there is not a long distance to walk to get it. Yet, it seems even those ten metres are too far and exhausting for most people.

No joie de vivre.

I even experience on a regular basis that people will use the gas kettle on the stove to fill the electric kettle, when the electricity comes on, because it is within reach, rather than to have to walk two meters to the tap to fill the electric kettle there. Now is this the height of laziness, ignorance, stupidity? What, if anything, useful goes on in a human’s brain to have them do that? Matters are compounded when one considers that this is happening in a place where people are apparently doing self-development. According to most forms or traditions of spiritual practise, and this includes self-development, one should at all times, if prudent, not choose the path most commonly or usually taken. That means one should challenge or test one self, in order to not choose the easy way out. Initially this may seem silly or even ridiculous to most folks, but it is all a matter of what ultimately becomes habit. But perhaps more about that another time?

Hollow and empty to the core.

In addition to that one should at all times endeavour to practise mindfulness. That means being aware of what one does, as one does it, and then also applying some common sense or logic, as most will not yet have sufficiently developed an iota or semblance of any wisdom. According to this is should be obvious that if one is now being too lazy, or not wanting to be inconvenienced, that just means that somebody else definitely will be inconvenienced. On occasion I have even completely filled the oven kettle, so that when I walk in later on I just need to put on the burner and it can start heating up, only to find it is empty. Surely when one encounters a full oven kettle, one asks one self whether somebody perhaps did that intentionally. Or not? It can hardly be coincidence that the kettle would be totally full for no apparent reason. And if you do not want to be inconvenienced by refilling the sugar bowl, or replacing the toilet paper, putting out a new tin of milk or jar of jam, then that just means somebody else will have to. Either that, or it becomes a matter of seeing who can hold out the longest. Though in some instances that is not only not practical, but it may even mean that somebody could be seriously compromised. Like with the toilet paper - I am confident I do not need to go into any degree of detail.

The whole ‘saga’ becomes even more interesting when one then confronts the others, whether individually or as a group, and raises the question as to who last used that particular item, there will be the well-known reply “wasn’t me!”. No matter what it is that is finished, it got finished all by its lonesome self. Simple.

Have to have at least two or three boxes
open at the same time, just in case.
Just in case ...

There are of course also variations on this theme, like having the need to open whatever new container or jar there is, regardless of whether there is already an open one. And also the practise of not opening the box or packet neatly, so it can be easily resealed ensuring that the contents keep relatively fresh as long as possible, or at the very least that unwelcome insects and the likes are kept out, but the box or packet has to be savaged open. Why finish off one container before opening the next, when you can have four or five all open at the same time. Be it jam, milk, tea, bread, cereals, no matter what it is, always ensure that you open a new container. That is just the way it is. And leading on from that, what I had touched on earlier on already, the practise of introducing your own utensils into whatever container it is that you are taking something out of. I think I would be correct in saying that the two objects most commonly afflicted by this practise are the sugar bowl, and the butter or margarine container.

Why only open one jar, when you
can open twoor even three of the
same jam or marmalade at the same time?

Let’s face it, nothing is more inviting then to see clumps or lumps of sugar, knowing full well how they were created or what caused them. Or to try and find a spot on the butter which is not infested with some other ingredient, like jam, humus, peanut butter, breadcrumbs, bits of fruit, muesli, coffee, you name it, I am sure I have seen it on or among the butter or margarine at one time or another, or even more often than not. The reason for this is quite likely unfathomable. People will not go along with me saying it is because the persons using before you were too lazy, nor will people like it if I ‘accuse’ them of not caring. I could ascribe it to a lack of mindfulness, which definitely is part of the problem, but that is not the ultimate cause, reason, or justification. So why do people do some of the aforementioned things that they do? Is it because we are not really cultured and civilised at all, but in actual fact closer to animals than what we would like to believe and admit? I am confident that some of the readers will be most put out by my even hinting at this, but why else do people do, or not do, some of the things that they do. To me it certainly indicates a basic lack of consideration for others.

Usually there are far more open milk cartons, but I
obviously took the photo at an inopportune time. ;-)

If I, though, take the phenomenon of leaving dirty dishes standing around, then I would have to go along with laziness. And the same also for not properly washed dishes and cutlery. Just plain simple laziness. Surely there cannot be anybody out there who seriously believes the plates, as well as knives, forks and spoons, and mugs, will wash themself? On occasion it may certainly appear to be like that, because when one walks in on a dirty lunch or tea room scene later on it is all neat and tidy. But in actual fact it is just that somebody could not take the mess any longer and cleaned it, or else they may have needed some cutlery or crockery them self and were thus forced to have to clean it, or make do with dirty stuff, or just to without it altogether. Just as with the empty containers, if one asks who left the dirty plate, or messy counter top, or who did not wash their mug, the unanimous reply will be “wasn’t me”!

!O-3|-W;-

Lunch 02 - 12 May 2011

2011-05-15T17:50:00.000+01:00

How to salvage left-overs

What do you do, when you end up with a lot of uneaten, untouched food. The one thing I learnt fairly early on is that the majority of the people on the retreat like what I refer to as baby food. Preferably totally overcooked to the point that most of it is so soft that it just about falls apart. And from being used to fast or convenience foods, I guess they mostly also prefer fairly oily food over steamed, boiled, or baked things. Generally, though, that is not how I would cook, and most certainly not how or what I would eat. It just seems somewhat pointless eating food which is cooked so long that most nutritional value has been eradicated. In addition, the softer the food the easier it may be to eat, and to a certain extend also to digest, however on the downside is that it is also digested very quickly, thus causing a fairly rapid, but equally short, rush of energy.

The longer it takes to digest the food, the more the entire system has to work, and the longer also the release of energy. Not just longer, but also much more equal, stable and sustained. That is apart from the fact that by mere virtue of the fact of having to firstly chew the food properly, you are giving the entire body a chance to prepare itself for the whole process, plus it is also an excellent meditational exercise, or mindfulness practise. Unfortunately due to the lives that most people have led they are so accustomed to just gulping down their food on the run, that not only have their bodies largely adapted to that, but they are also conditioned to have to have a quick fix meal more often, generally referred to as snacking. Commonly they have obviously also developed various digestive ailments, including but not limited to one or more of the likes of constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowl syndrome, ulcers, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, cramping, lethargy, malnutrition, and others, like weight gain (actually accumulation of fat), and also the wrong type of fat, since the body does need a certain amount of fat for a variety of purposes. For now we shall only mention diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Thus, when I have cooked a dish which the majority do not ‘like’, then I am stuck with the remains. I am sure I have mentioned the entire group consciousness concept before as well, where if one or two people express a dislike or dissatisfaction, the majority of the group will follow suit. I am not sure whether this happens consciously or intentionally, but I doubt it. More than likely it is part of the herd mentality, of not wanting to stand out, and also on a subconsciously level allowing them self to be influenced by the herd or majority. So if the first few people taking food express reservations, the majority of the rest will follow that example. The result is a dish full of properly cooked and fine tasting, but largely untouched, food.

Since I have an aversion of sorts to throw away any food, unless I absolutely really have to, I will always endeavour to somehow reuse the leftovers, which in winter is fairly easy. It all just goes into the soup or a stew the next or following day. But with it now being spring, or early summer, it becomes a bit more difficult. Not only are the people not so keen on soup any more, but we also do not have cold storage facilities, and while in winter I can just store it outside, or somewhere else similarly suitable, this is no longer possible. Thus I now have to be more inventive, in order to use up leftovers. On Wednesday I had made a Pyrex dish of butterbeans and haricot beans, with diced carrots, baked in orange juice with a little sunflower oil, and dusted with some cloves and cinnamon, and with salt added to taste. It subsequently emerged that is was not that popular, which may have been due to the oranges not being very tasty, in fact they were quite bland, or because there were too many other tasty things, and thus about half the dish was left over. A fair amount of food left over which largely is an excellent source of protein, already cooked, but not used – what to do?

I decided to firstly puree it, and add a few other things, like millet, polenta, caraway seeds, sunflower oil, tinned peas, and some spices to taste. Initially I had no idea where this was going, but it seemed like a good idea. Strange? I agree, but I have found with most of my cooking that I have little forethought as to what I am going to make, and I kind of busk it as I go along. Invariably inspiration and ideas come to me, at times quite odd or unusual ones I will admit, but ultimately obviously workable ones, as after more than six months everybody is still very much alive, and in fact looking quite healthy. Thus it suddenly struck me to try to either bake them into little rolls or balls/dumplings, or alternately to deep fry them. Now deep frying it not exactly one of my favourite forms of cooking food, but most people seem to love it, so I guess the occasional use of this method should not cause too much harm. But, as I discovered, it is a cooking method which also requires some knowledge and skill. Because my first bake attempts just sagged, heated up, and unless removed fairly quickly started to turn to flat charcoal. With the deep frying they just fell apart in the boiling oil. Now what?

That is when I realised I needed a ‘glue’ to keep the ingredients all together, and I suddenly had an image of chilli-bites I had once bought at the Oriental Plaza. From what I could recall they were a bit like little bread rolls, definitely consisting of very bread-like dough, thus indicating the need for whole-wheat flour. The only problem was that I was starting to run out of time, and everything has to be ready by 12h00 since they only have an hour in which to eat lunch. If I should be late with the food I would most certainly not make myself very popular, apart from that I endeavour to never inconvenience anybody else due to my own short-comings. So now a rather hasty process of adding flour, kneading, then taking a sample for each for baking and deep frying proceeded. And gradually I managed to concoct a mix which resulted in both quite well baking and deep-frying. That meant that I now had something to work with, and while getting the rest of the meal together I in-between rolled little dough balls, some of which went onto a baking sheet, and others into the boiling oil. As things worked out I managed to finish everything in time, though I obviously still did not know how well received it would be. Not only these little mixed dough balls, but also the rest of the meal, which now obviously did not get as much attention as it normally would have. The verdict is usually only in after the meal, which is broadly based on how much food is left over, how much is in the composting rubbish bin, and on occasion what comments the retreatants pass.

After that particular meal there was nothing left over, nothing in the composting rubbish bin, and in addition much ravings and numerous compliments. It looks like I shall have to focus on, and experiment a bit more with, various forms of deep frying, as well as baking dough creations similar to dumplings, curry balls and chilli bites. Perhaps it is now time to start looking at actual recipes, to get some idea or guidance of what I should actually be doing, rather than just busking it.

!O-3|-W;-

It’s Not Easy

2011-05-10T17:29:00.000+01:00

As any Rolling Stones fan will know, that was the title of a song in the late sixties - early seventies. It was more specifically about living on ones own after ones relationship with a woman (partner) had broken up, and implying that it is better or easier living together with somebody else, and certainly not about living within any sort of community environment. But who knows, I neither wrote it, nor was I old enough then to be part of that experience. None the less I was old enough to follow their hits and songs in general, so it kind of stuck in my mind somewhere among the cobwebs of reminiscences.

What I have had the experience of during my lifetime is to live both with a partner, as well as in various ‘communal’ environments. It goes without saying that while on, or in, retreat, you are automatically part of a small community, and the same goes probably for any situation where you are involved in voluntary or charity work. The very nature of this work is that it is, or should be, of benefit to somebody else, and personally I have always felt that this should ideally also happen without being at the expense of anybody or anything else. Thus in the course of doing such work it would probably entail some inconvenience, some ‘sacrifice’, but ultimately it would be for the greater good of living beings – hopefully even of all beings. It more and more seems to me as if I may be deluding myself with this approach. Not everybody who does, or is involved in, charity or voluntary service necessarily does it primarily to benefit others. I have discovered that often that is a secondary aspect, and that the looking after one self comes first and foremost.

It has always been an accepted and understandable, or even wise, approach that you can not provide for, or assist others, as long as you yourself are in need. That is also among one of the reasons why a monastic in Buddhism has to take vows of celibacy, to ensure that they are not in any way emotionally tied down to feel obliged to have to provide for somebody else, other than the community at large. There should ideally not be one single individual who is more important than all the others, individually or collectively. But what if one is still stuck in the belief that one self is more important and significant than anybody else? What if the ‘service’ is dependant on being able to first and foremost meet ones own needs? And what if the collective good is not acknowledged, as it is overlooked, due to a variety of possibilities? Be they lack of mindfulness, selfishness, greediness, or whatever the reason, then what?

To get back to a norm I raised in a previous blog, namely to leave everything the way you find it, unless to leave it differently would improve on it. Now this seems, at least to me, to be a sensible and also practical approach to any communal living situation. Regardless of whether it is a two person partnership ‘household’, or a larger community, or a retreat environment, as long as everybody endeavours to do things in such a way that they will not in any way disadvantage anybody else, then there should be no problem. And if one can do something which will improve matters for all concerned, then so much the better. Obviously this is, especially these days, and even more where people from diverse backgrounds are brought together, an ideal which is unlikely to happen in a hurry. It is even less likely to happen where most people have a very shallow level of mindfulness; if they have any degree of mindfulness at all. Perhaps I should say a bit more about mindfulness in a blog in time to come. Often it consists of no more than what the Beatles have in a song entitled “I, Me, Mine”. And though when discussing the concept or phenomena there may be agreement that one needs to behave in the interest of the greater good, in practise, or when push comes to shove, that invariably does not happen.

More often than not it is not because the person intentionally sabotages things, but it is because their mind is caught up in other thought activities, and hence they do not focus on doing what is of maximum benefit to all. It is a matter of ensuring that ones own immediate needs are met, that one does or gets done what one would like to do for one self and everything else kind of falls by the wayside. It is not a malicious intent of sabotage, but it is none the less no less an inconvenience or less diabolical than if it were done intentionally. So is lack of mindfulness an adequate excuse or justification for not doing what one knows one should be doing? Provided, or accepting, of course, that one does know what one should ideally be doing! And following on from that is then the entire aspect of all others continuing to do what they know should ideally be done, in spite of some not doing what should be done. It is very easy to say “well, s/he is not doing what they should be doing, so why should I do it?” And indeed, why should you?

Perhaps one of the most difficult practices is to continue doing what you know is the right thing to do, or what should ideally be done, even when you also know that very few others are doing it. If you take the scenario of travelling on a road where the speed limit is say 80km/h, and everybody else is doing 100km/h. Are you going to continue travelling at the prescribed maximum permissible speed limit, or are you going to run with the pack? Not only are you likely to be ostracised for driving slower than everybody else, even though you are the only one who is not breaking the law, but you are also going to create an inconvenience to everybody else. Or are you going to do what the rest of the traffic is doing, in order to not stand out, to be accepted, to not be an inconvenience? Taking the easy way out is the most prevalent method of practise. Whether it be in terms of tidying up a place, of putting things back where you took them from, of making sure you do your prostrations or offerings, or prayers, as correctly as possible, or doing what is easiest and most convenient to do. Especially in all spiritual practise, and Buddhist teachings are now exception, one is generally advised to take the least trodden path. To not only not take the easy way out, but to even actively seek the path which least have taken, unless to take such a path would be foolhardy or a waste of time.

It then also means to go the extra mile, and to willingly accept that one will encounter many obstacles and unpleasantnesses along the way. This is by no means a pleasant or easy route to choose, but the rewards are ultimately said to be so much greater. Some may feel that this ties in well with the customary saying of “no pain, no gain”, though personally I take even that as a bit of a generalisation. There need not be pain in order for there to be gain, though there will invariably be inconvenience. Perhaps the distinction is in whether that inconvenience is pain? Surely that then again comes down to personal choice, as one can decide whether one wants to evaluate and see it as pain, or merely as part of the path one is on. And just as surely the moment you accept and embrace it, it can not be or be seen as a pain, or can it?

It certainly is by no means easy to just accept it as part of the path, as the natural tendency is to push it away, and to not want to accept and tolerate it. It has to be a conscious decision to allow that conduct to exist, and to be willing and able to accept and embrace it. Whether that is the wise choice long-term, only time will tell. My personal take on it is that as long as you are willing to accept anything, and to allow others to get away with everything, then you are permitting them to treat you like a doormat, and you may develop some qualities of acceptance and tolerance, but not only will you continue to be treated like that, but others them self will also never change. And why should they?

Change invariably, by its very nature, is not easy. To suddenly do what you have not done before, more so when having to do it unwillingly, is not easy. But change is also the only constant. Everything is constantly changing, but ultimately let us not forget that with it we always have choices. We can choose whether we want to accept the change, or resist it. Each individual can choose right now to do anything and everything in their lives differently without necessarily having to be pushed into doing so, or they may continue to carry on with the old known routine. Commonly or generally most people will resist change, as it’s not easy. Even when such change may not only produce beneficial results, but even be necessary, still the initial tendency is to balk and resist. Why? Because we are comfortable with the known, with the familiar? Because even though it is not what we want or need, it is usually just so much easier to just carry on, then to change. Because change involves a lot of effort and invariably what we perceive as unpleasantness. Because we can find and/or invent a hundred more reasons why we do not want to have to change!

Just as living in close proximity with other living beings is invariably not easy, so changing is not easy. Whether they are human beings, or the dreaded midges, or ants and flies, it is never easy having them around. You may have various choices as to how you are going to react to their presence, but by far the most beneficial is to choose to try and accept them, and to try and tolerate them. It’s sure not easy living on your own, but often it is easier than living together with others, especially when they are messy, undisciplined, and less inclined to want to contribute to the general communal wellbeing, rather than first and foremost tending to their own needs. After all, that is how they are used to doing it at home, or when on their own, so why should they now have to be inconvenienced by having to indulge, accommodate, and tolerate others?

!O-3|-W;-

Lunch 01 - 05 May 2011

2011-05-05T20:01:00.000+01:00

General note on meals and my cooking
People have asked what I cook for lunch. The obvious answer is food. But some also wanted to know if I have any special or specific recipes, and what food exactly I cook. So here are a few words about my meals, and over the next few weeks, or months, I shall from time to time, as the ‘energy’, need, and inspiration, grab me, share some of my concoctions.

There are some who are wheat intolerant, and some who are wheat sensitive. There are some who prefer to not eat spiced or seasoned food. There are some who are lactose intolerant, and then there are at any given time some who will join any one or more of the other groups, either temporarily, or for a longer period of time, for whatever reason. Be it out of sympathy, empathy, support, protest, to be different, to belong, to be counted, … take your pick! Since we are not a hotel, and we do not run a restaurant, plus being on retreat the meals are supposed to be fairly ‘un-exciting’ and actually purely to sustain the ailing body, one tries to not get carried away. None the less, one also tries to accommodate those who have genuine health issues, plus to not have people feel neglected. So I always also try to cater for what we call the ‘gentle’ folk. The ‘intolerant’ ones mentioned earlier on. ;-)

I do not use recipes, other than like a basic road map. It is pretty much like when you I do not know the route to a new place, I will, for example, look at a map to get a general idea where the place is, what I am likely to encounter along the way, what to watch out for, and any other aspects of interest or relevance that there may be along the route. Seldom do I study the map while actually travelling, but I always arrive without too many hassles. I pretty much do likewise with recipes. Only if it is something which I have absolutely no clue how to make, or what to do with, will I read the recipe in detail, but it is still unlikely that I will follow the ingredients to a T, nor quantities and the likes. But that is just me, and others simply have to rely on a recipe. Why am I mentioning this? Well, because I can never give a detailed recipe of any dish, let alone an entire meal, that I have ever cooked.

So what you will see are pretty much concepts and inspirations that came while being busy in the kitchen. Invariably when I walk into the kitchen in the morning I have no idea what I am going to be cooking for lunch, other than what bean or legumes, since they are invariably dried and needed soaking overnight. And that’s about all I have to say about that, for now.

Soup

Borlotti Beans boiled until very soft with Rosemary, add Steamed Green Beans, season with fresh ginger, candied lemon peel, sugar and salt to taste, and sunflower oil. (after boiling the beans take some out to keep separate for the ‘gentle’ folks)

Steam-fried Green-leafs

Heat some sunflower oil in a deep pot, add caraway seeds and oregano, crushed cashew nuts, and desiccated coconut. Fry everything up for a while. Add boiling water (carefully) to increase liquid, once boiling add chopped curly kale and cabbage. Steam-fry for a while. Add lemon and lime juice, as well as a little salt, and maybe sugar to taste.

Potatoes

Peel, drench with sunflower oil, lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and salt, place in deep Pyrex dish, cover with tin foil, and bake in oven. (keep some potatoes aside to steam for the ‘gentle’ folks)

Beetroot

Peel and cook beetroot well, until done. Coat in olive oil, and sprinkle with cloves dust and salt. Lightly bake in oven. (keep some aside plain for the ‘gentle’ folks)

Rice

Carefully boil brown rice. (hey, how difficult is this?)

!O-3|-W;-

Metal versus Mettle

2011-05-04T17:33:00.000+01:00

During lunchtime today I had a free performance, or demonstration, of how sheep were being herded on the hillside just opposite from us. Unless one has seen the landscape here this may not seem interesting, or of any particular significance, but there is very little even or level terrain here. And the sheep are not kept in fields like in South Africa, but they roam around freely on the hillsides and mountain slopes. Lately while cycling I have seen many sheep looking very colourful due to having been sprayed with some paint or other substance. At times it is as part of counting, but then also to mark which sheep has already been inoculated or given some other medication, or whatever it is that they do to the sheep here. After all, it’s not New Zealand. ;-)

Initially the sheep look like they have been prepared for a race, as they have different numbers sprayed onto them, one a big 60, the next a 13, then a 27, and so on, which is obviously part of the counting process. Eventually the colours also change, and at times it is just a general spraying of one or other part of the body, or a specific marking, and in order to do this one obviously has to be able to get close to the animal. But with the animals generally roaming around freely they are not exactly accustomed to the close proximity of humans, and even when I go walk-about they invariably run for their lives long before I get even anywhere close to them. The fact that the young sheep are now also being educated by the older ones probably contributes to their skittishness. With it being late spring most young sheep are fairly grown up already, and hence there is now obviously a need for the farmers to take stock and to ensure the wellbeing of the herd.

So how do you round up a flock of sheep on a hillside which has ravines, and then also the remains of an old system of growing crops called rig and furrow, plus the occasional currently mainly dry streams, and rocks, and bushes and meter-high heather? Not forgetting, of course, that these sheep run along those hills all day long, hence not only do they know the territory very well, but they are also quite adapt at crossing and overcoming various obstacles, and extremely swift considering their awkward figures or body shapes. Yes, up close they all look rather awkward and clumsy, until they get into motion and stampede off down or up the hillside.

Well this is when mans trusted old friend, the dog, comes to the rescue. With the terrain being what it is it would obviously be extremely difficult for one dog to do this all on its own, in particular with a larger flock of sheep, but today I witnessed two of them being extremely adapt at their task. Not only were they amazingly swift and agile, but it seemed that they were actually really enjoying doing what they do. The dogs can certainly handle and control the sheep extremely well; however the dogs also need to be given instructions as to how and where the farmer wants the sheep, and whether he wants to them all together, or in two groups on opposite sides of the ravine, etc. Trust me, the sheep have no problem in ‘flying’ across the ravines, and naturally the collies will not allow themselves to be outdone. So how and where does the collie get his (or her) instructions from?

The farmer needs to be within shouting distance, and obviously also be able to see where the sheep are relative to where he wants them to be. And with neither sheep nor dog allowing the other to outrun it, it would be impossible for any human being to even remotely keep up or get anywhere close. This is where a human-made contraption called a quad-bike come to the rescue, and it may be one of the very first instances where I have seen these noise-making contraptions being sensibly utilised. Without a quad-bike it would be equally impossible for the farmer to keep up with the animals, and hence though they always lag behind, or otherwise ensure that they end up just ahead of the flock, they can make sure that they ultimately can also be where they need the sheep to be at the appropriate time. As long as they are within line of sight and shouting distance they can instruct the collies what to do. And follow instructions the collies do exceptionally well. At times they even seem to have a mind, or knowing, of their own, and they almost pre-empt the sheep’s’ next move.

The reader may now quite easily be thinking along the lines of a half-hour’ entertainment, but alas, such was not to be. Probably not even ten minutes and the dogs had demonstrated their mettle by coaxing around fifty sheep across an area of probably around half a square kilometre across rugged terrain, with ravines and all, plus gone back and checked that none had slyly tried to hide away somewhere. I kid you not; each one in turn backtracked and circled the area to ensure that all the sheep were accounted for. All the while the two farmers stayed within close proximity on their metal contraptions and gave directions or instructions. They probably considered them to be instructions, but to the dog I am sure it was more like a direction. These collies know their tasks so well, it is almost mindboggling. I have previously seen them on TV in competitions, where they have to round up and corner, or whatever, a certain number of sheep in an arena, but never before have I seen them actually do so ‘in action’.

Seeing them perform today made all previous TV competitions I have seen look like Childs-play. This was something which has to be seen to be believed, and when contemplating it I came to realise that neither one nor the other could do what they did, in the very short time that they did it in, on their own. There is certainly no way that the human being could have moved across those slopes adequately on foot, and even less chance of them controlling the sheep like the dogs did. I would even venture to say that on level ground and in a controlled environment it would not be possible for a human being to do what one well trained dog can achieve. The swiftness, the instinct, the mindfulness, an absolute delight to witness!

On a different note, the wind has finally changed direction, and with a bit of luck we may finally be getting some long overdue rain. For the past more than two weeks we have not a drop, which is not only unusual for here, but when seeds have just been sown, and seedling planted, then every bit of moisture is welcome. But Scotland being what it is, more than likely we will find the seeds and seedlings, if not the ground as well, being washed away once it does finally start raining again.

!O-3|-W;-

Too Blind To Want To See

2011-05-02T19:49:00.000+01:00

There is a general saying, and wherever it is that they say this, it generally holds more truth and wisdom than most realise, or maybe would like to believe. ‘There are none as blind as those who do not want to see.’ But of course this gets said everywhere, not just in one specific country or place. The moment you are living with or among other living beings you are exposed to the habits and doings of them, and it invariably takes quite a lot of acceptance, patience, and tolerance, not necessarily in the that order, to do so. You also very quickly learn that not everybody has the same values as you, not everybody has the same respect for others as you, and not everybody has the same level of tidiness and cleanliness as you. Provided of course you have or possess these ‘qualities’ in the first place.

One of the trickiest things may be the whole aspect of respect, which although referring to behaviour, conduct, and manners, very often excludes or overlooks the entire concept of personal space. And like it or not, as human beings we are invariably programmed to expect to enjoy a certain amount of personal space, though this is largely also culturally determined. Accordingly in some cultures people are much more used to living in close proximity, and to have less space to call their ‘own’, than in most western or European societies. The biggest difference among living beings obviously occurs with animals, and that may largely also be a case of how they grow up, the circumstances within which they exist, and the fact that it also serves a very useful purpose in terms of shelter and security. Being closely together brings warmth in the cold, it provides safety in numbers, or at least that is the perception, and it also provides company and perceived comfort.

However, if one is used to a certain differing level of these aspects, then it can be rather challenging when you suddenly have to put up with others’ ‘lesser’ or mediocre standards, or at times even a total lack of any standard. This aspect of standard of behaviour and consideration for others is closely linked to the whole concept of mindfulness. When you are mindful, then you are naturally aware of what goes on around you, you are aware of how you find things, and you are aware of how others behave and conduct themselves. Accordingly you should know that in order to not be a nuisance, to not stand out unfavourably or unpleasantly, then you need to take others into consideration. At no time should anything that you do in any way become someone else problem or concern. Never make your problem, regardless of what it is, somebody else’s problem, unless they invite you to do so. Never!

From this automatically flows the whole aspect of leaving everything the way you find it, unless what you do will leave it in an improved state or condition. Who determines whether it is an improvement may at times be open to interpretation, though as a rule I think most people will know instinctively whether it is an improvement -- or am I just being presumptuous here? In other words, when you find a work area or countertop clean and tidy, then you leave it exactly as clean and tidy as you found it. Not somewhat clean and tidy, but exactly as clean and tidy as it was before you used it. If you come to a door or gate, and it is closed, then you close it behind you as well again once you have passed through. Conversely if it was open you leave it open, unless you know for certain that it is better to be closed. If you empty a container of sugar or milk, then refill it, open a new one, or at the very least put out a new one, and do not expect other people to be your servants. How arrogant can one human being be? You will be surprised. Well, I am surprised on an almost daily basis, and I am only exposed to less than a handful of others.

This is not a unique or unusual occurrence or experience, as I have come across this on every single retreat I have been on over the past twenty odd years or so. People invariably just use things, and have the belief that because they have servants at home who do the cleaning up, be they employed servants, or their partner, parents, or other family members, it means that it is okay to also just use things and leave them lying or standing around dirty after they are done with them. Perhaps they think it is built into the price of the retreat that these things will get cleaned and tidied up after them, or maybe … okay, we will get to that in a moment. As I said before, I have come across this on every single retreat, and at times it is worse than on others. But collectively humans believe it is their inherent right to not have to tidy up after them. It is particularly worrying to me on a retreat, when invariably retreats are always about self-development and caring for and about all other living beings as well.

So why does this then happen? Ultimately, I believe, it is because firstly there are different standards, and not everybody views things the in the same way as we may do. It is extremely surprising and even worrying, though, that somebody should not be capable of noticing that the area or item they have just used is not as clean as when they found it. Provided of course they realise at all that it was not just standing around dirty on the sideboard or kitchen sink when they picked it up in the first place. In addition there is the whole aspect of not really wanting to see it, in addition to not really giving a damn. If somebody is endeavouring to practise mindfulness, then they will also attempt to be or become aware of everything that goes on around them. They will attempt to try and see how things are when they first encounter them to ensure that they leave them in the same state, or else to see if there is any way of improving on them.

Certainly, there is the whole aspect now of who determines whether it is an improvement, and I do not wish to enter into that discussion here and now, because what is far more relevant is the whole concept of leaving everything in the same way that you found it. If a cup is in a certain cupboard, then you put it back there when you are done with it. If a spoon came out of a certain drawer or container, then you replace it exactly there after you have used it. If books were in a certain order on the shelf, then you put them back in the same order. How can you achieve this? By practicing basic mindfulness! It means starting off with the whole concept of firstly wanting to do things as is befitting and appropriate to the wellbeing of the rest of the community or people with whom you are occupying a limited space. It also means making an effort of taking notice of things around you, and perhaps even asking yourself why they are the way that they are.

By questioning or challenging the way things are, or are done, you not only begin to understand the purpose of why things are done in a certain way, but you also begin to realise that perhaps there is a better way of doings them. There may be a way which is perhaps easier, or more beneficial, for the greater good of all, and not just doing it to fulfil your very own immediate needs and desires. You are, after all, not alone on this planet, and especially not within the community in which you exist. But as long as you do not want to see what does on around you, and then make an effort to try ‘fit in’, so long you have no chance of making much of a difference – other than to irritate and aggravate others. Finally, there is the whole aspect of different standards, where my standard of cleanliness or hygiene may not be the same as the next persons perception of what is adequately or sufficiently clean and tidy. And this is why it is so important to leave things exactly as you find them, unless to leave them any other way would improve on how they were or are now.

!O-3|-W;-

Oh - But to Choose Wisely

2011-04-25T17:40:00.000+01:00

It seems that with many things, which largely or often are also really trivial and inconsequential, we exercise our ability to choose, but the really important ones we do not. Especially when on retreat, or engaging in self-development, we should not be too choosy about things other than what is immediately and directly related to our practise. But things like food, the taste of such, the texture, temperature (wow, they are all t’s) is really irrelevant, provided it is generally edible and will nourish the ailing body. At least, that is the theory. It seems, though, that we often miss the point and or opportunity, and allow ourselves to get caught up in the trivia. I notice it especially with the fresh fruit, where people will no want to eat it because the peel or skin does not look as what we believe it should look like, or how we would want it to be, or when we believe it should be riper or sweeter or juicier, we also do not want to eat it. It is, after all, not to our liking. We have to ‘enforce’ our preference, because we are in control.

When, however, the very same fruit is taken, and reworked, say bananas into banana loaf, or pears into a type of fruit stew, then it becomes fully acceptable. Yet at the same time this is so trivial and largely inconsequential in terms of our practise and existence, but we want to ‘know’ that we are in control, and that we choose what we were willing to consume. Nothing wrong with choosing what one is willing to stick into ones mouth, provided it is relevant and significant. So you may then very well ask what are the choices then which may be significant and relevant?

Well obviously what we do, say, and think. In terms of Buddhist teachings we create our own ‘destiny’, through causes and conditions, namely Karma, and that is not something which happens willy-nilly, but we create it, one-hundred percent. Nothing left to chance or luck or fate or any other fancy-word excuse, but it is entirely up to our actions. In Buddhist terms action has a two-fold relevance, namely being obviously what we actively do, but then also all of what we speak and think. So when one speaks about action plus cause equals result, then the action part is truly also all of what we think, say, and physically do, and not only the direct physical activity aspect. Accepting naturally also that all our speech and activity is invariably preceded by a thought process, whether consciously or not.

Closely linked to this is then also the whole aspect of reacting. Strictly speaking ideally one should of course not just purely react, without having taken the consequences of that reaction into consideration. But unfortunately far too often people do not consider this. Even HH the 13^th Dalai Lama already remarked more than a hundred years ago that one of his biggest concerns was that monks take decisions without taking the consequences into consideration. What do you know, little has changed? On a certain level most people are mainly reactive, allowing themselves to be controlled by their emotions, rather than by thoughts or (common) sense. That is one of the reasons why meditation is so essential and useful. By practising meditation one, over time, teaches and trains one self to allow some ‘space’ before responding. One gradually becomes more in control of ones thoughts, ones emotions, and then ultimately also one self.

In addition we should also choose wisely when it comes to what happens at the time of death. This will naturally sound strange to adherents of most other religions, but in terms of Buddhism one is reborn (reincarnated) countless times, and at the time of death some unique opportunities arise. Without going into too much detail here and now, as not only is it too lengthy to cover now, but it also deserves much greater and more thorough consideration to do the whole subject justice, at the time of death we do an evaluation of ourselves, the immediate life we have lived, and what lessons we have learnt or still need to learn. And then we choose where we wish to be reborn again. But we also encounter various ‘apparitions’ in terms of the passing-over process from one Bardo to the next, and especially at this point is how or what we choose quite significant. Again, the detail is not part of this topic right now, so perhaps in some future blog it shall be dealt with in greater detail. What is significant, though, is to be aware that this opportunity will present itself, that we may be able to prepare and practise for when it does present itself, and that it need also not be a purely reactive process, but we can encounter it informed and prepared to a great extent.

Throughout our lives, in the course of each and every day, we are presented with countless choices. Some more obvious than others, and in many instances we choose without actually realising that, or what we have chosen. They are not instances where you have to vote or cast a ballot, although in a sense that is exactly what you are doing, but they are situations where we allow our gut, or instinct, or subconscious, to take control and to lead the way. With being mindful that would largely not be the case. The only proper way for humans to teach themselves to be mindful is through meditation practise. Teaching yourself to be in the moment, with the moment, for the moment (and I guess one could add from moment to moment). It is vitally important to do that, because all our choices now dictate what will happen to us in the future. And what is happening to us now is all entirely due to something which we did in the past. Regardless of what religion you believe in, or whether you do not follow any religion at all, every individual can verify for themselves the truth about choosing wisely.

In addition they can also verify that the choices now exercised affect what happens in the future. Unfortunately in many instances we only become aware of it subsequently, when it is strictly speaking an accomplice to the fact. Only by taking a particular situation, the immediately preceding course of events, and analysing it do we realise just how much choice we had, and how much we caused the current situation. There are naturally also many instances when we do not, or can not, recall the detail that brought us to where we are now, but that does not in any way detract from the generality of the fact. It is verifiable by each and every individual, so it pays or is worthwhile to choose wisely. Not just the more obvious choices, like where you work or what work you do, though that is also very important, nor what relationships you allow yourself to get involved in, but more importantly every single aspect of what you do, what you say, and what you think. And as a special exercise perhaps try for just one hour to observe all the thoughts that go through your mind.

What do you think, what goes through your mind, as you encounter situations and people? How do you react to things which unfold? Are you in control of your thoughts and emotions, or do your emotions and thoughts control you? Because largely those thoughts will influence your decisions, in turn your choices, and hence also your future!

!O-3|-W;-

The Busy-bee Bussing Tree

2011-04-25T13:24:00.000+01:00

Yeah, this sounds downright spooky, or otherwise like a children’s story. But it is in actual fact quite ordinary, yet also very profound. And yes, it could also be a children’s story, as there is absolutely no good reason why children should not also read this. Maybe not everything I write and have to say should necessarily be read by children, but this they most certainly could. Right behind my cabin is a tree which during the past week or two has started leafing. You know, growing leaves, and also flowers of sorts. Maybe more blossoms, none the less, things which have led to the tree constantly bussing loudly. And no, it is not the leaves or blossoms that are making the noise, uh-duh.

It turns out that even though there are no formal beehives or beekeepers here on the island, such attempts at apiaries were made in the past (see, I also know fancy words, but just in case kids are reading this, an apiary is a place where beehives for honeybees are kept). That aside, there are a certain number of ‘indigenous’ bees here, with apparently two main types, being part of the humble bumble bee grouping, and then also from the typical honey bee family. Now both are very industrious and also very aware of what goes on around them (talk about mindfulness), and so with the first blossoms on the tree, and also flowers elsewhere, the bees came without being invited, nor bothering to knock. Not that there is any door which they could have knocked on, but well, it is, after all, the thought that counts. Or not?

But I digress, so back to the tree. Even though there are not all that many blossoms yet, the bees obviously don’t mind too much. With first light, and I literally mean first light, not first sunbeams, they are out there busy at it. You know, at inspecting the blossoms and stamens and things inside the flowers. Not only are they out with first light, but they don’t mind carrying on until it is almost totally dark again, or else perhaps when the temperature has plummeted too much. That means they have an about 16-hour work-day. During this time they will fly back and forth, coming back countless times to inspect, and re-inspect each and every flower over and over. There may thus be somewhat of a waste of time and energy, because they may visit the same flower twice, or else you could also have ten or more different bees each inspecting the same flower over and over.

Perhaps as humans, certainly for me having studied advanced business management, this is a matter for concern, because how much more could be achieved if they had things planned and organised? Yet at the same time they remind a lot of observing how the Chinese used to do things at the temple I was based at. The Chinese, it seems, also love to work, as they will be busy from early light until it gets dark. And that is why I would never begrudge a Chinese person being wealthy, because invariably they earned it, unlike many other cultures who expect to get (paid) much for doing very very little. In addition, at many functions and festivals one there were maybe ten people all running around working at the same task, and I often also thought this needed better planning and organising, until I was told that largely it had not actually been planned or organised at all, but was really happening by tacit agreement.

That means you initially discuss what all needs doing, and then you go about doing it. And though you made have more than one person doing the same thing, due to the ferociousness with which they tackle a task ultimately it all gets done. Not only that, but all necessary tasks will get done, one way or another. And by the end of the function or day, everything will again have been cleaned up and packed away. It is absolutely amazing to observe this phenomenon. There is invariably nobody shirking their duty or responsibility, no time for idleness or laziness. Not only does everybody consider it most inappropriate to not be involved and to help, but there is a subtle unwritten self-policing system in place, whereby a mere glance from one individual to another is recognised as sufficient chastisement. If only all cultures, but South African in particular, and even many other parts of the rest of the world, would only adopt some aspects of that.

It does not mean one necessarily has to or should be on the go 24/7, but when there is work to be done, then one should get on with it, and do it properly. None of the avoiding any work which so abounds in the South African society, but all working together for the common good. This can, naturally, be taken a bit too far, but on the whole it is a very good principle do encourage. It also appears to be what the bees make use of, with great success. But I am yet again digressing from what I actually want to say. It struck me yesterday how different bees will all fly around the same tree with a finite number (just in case any children are reading this, that is a limited number) of blossoms, and not only are there the two main types of bees, but they may not all necessarily be from the same hive or swarm. In spite of these differences, they all coexist quite happily, all occupying the same limited airspace around the tree.

So not only do they manage to accomplish this without any air-traffic controllers or sophisticated equipment, but they do not get protective over territory. None of this “hey that’s my blossom or my flower - stay out”, but the entire tree, airspace and limited blossoms and all and all are all shared by whatever bee wants to have a go at it. Image for a moment the nonsense of what humans have gotten up to, with property rights, and possession laws, and territory wars, and encroachment disputes, and it carries on, and then some more. That is not to say that there are not territories, or area limitations, within the animal kingdom (okay, to be PC (for the little ones again, PC is an acronym, which is a usually first-letter abbreviation for another word or phrase, which in this particular instance refers to being politically correct – which I have no idea what it has to do with politics) it would have to be something like animal royaldom, or else maybe we can settle on king- / queendom) but invariably the territorialism within the animal realm is due to concern over young, or due to limited resources. Aspects which may also once have been a matter for concern within the human realm, but which largely do not really apply any longer. Nowadays it is more a matter of greed.

I do not actually know where the bees here stay. Certainly none of the many hotels, B&Bs or guesthouses, another uh-duh, but probably just somewhere in a tree hollow or rock crevice, or cave. Hence it is also not possible for me to say how far they have to fly for this job which they do day in and day out, but to me the really astonishing thing was the realisation that they are quite happy to share and coexist without any turf-wars, or other issues. If one bee approaches a flower or blossom where there is already another bee at it, then they just move on, and finished. Not even the slightest attempt to push the other bee out of the flower, or threatening it, or making a nuisance of itself, you know like impatiently hovering around and bussing louder than normal. Now why can’t humans also be like that? Live and let live. If someone is there before you, just move on, and find the next potential source. Maybe because they probably also do not have the production and penalty systems we have created. Imagine a ‘checker bee’ or forebee (to be PC again I dare not use foreman) sitting at the entrance and keeping tabs of how much you have contributed for the day. But then again, they are also all very industrious, and hence no quantity check system is required.

!O-3|-W;-

A Just-so Update

2011-04-23T07:44:00.000+01:00

No, there is not going to be anything profound in this little update. In fact, in some regards it will even be trivial, if not ridiculous. But to be honest, quite often very little happens from one day to the next. There is nothing much to cause or create much to be different. Other than maybe the weather. Wow, how exciting. Oh well, who said life had to be interesting let alone exciting? But last night it started raining slightly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Yeah, it rains here in Scotland on most days, and I was glad that it was raining again? For the past about a week to ten days it had not rained much at all, and especially the previous two days were quite hot and unpleasant. Not hot by South African standards, but hot in comparison to what it is usually like here. In addition it was also largely wind-still, the preferred weather by various flying nasties.

I had previously mentioned midges, and they are now just rearing to go, in addition to the countless other little flies and insects and things that are dying to make a nuisance of themselves. At least I am not an animal which can not do much about or against these little nuisances, so I can at least apply various repellents, or dress more appropriately to make things difficult for them. Personally I reckon midgets is as correct as midges is, as they are really like miniature mossies (for the non-South Africans: mosquitoes). When the locals mention that certain burns (rivers and watercourses here in Scotland) are very low, then you know that things are dry. Or when they are concerned that the sea in the bay has been very calm for such a long time, and that it is not right, then something is certainly amiss. But what? I can’t say, I have not been here long enough. All I have been told for certain is that these nuisances, the midget mosquitoes, love warm wind-still weather, and that is what we had been having. But today it is very foggy, misty, and rainy, so hardly many little flying thingys going to be around.

On the more unfortunate side, we may be having our first ‘casualty’. One of the guys has indicated that he wants out. This is strange in a way because he did the previous four-year retreat, so it is nothing new to him. But maybe it is precisely for that reason that he wants out. I can’t say as I have not spoken with him, but I do not blame anybody who after six months wants to throw in the towel. It is not easy by any measure to spend day after day without particularly much changing around you, just ‘looking’ at your mind. It is you, and a few others, but essentially you with yourself day after day. There are preciously few other sensory, or mind, stimulations - just you, your practise, and time.

In a week or so the first part of the retreat comes to an end, in the sense that the foundation practise of Ngondro will have been completed. That is when one does four different individual practices consisting of making prostrations, doing a purification visualisation (Dorje Sempa), making Mandala offerings, and finally guru yoga. At some stage I will go into greater detail about this part of the practise, but you can always Google it. In essence it consists of completing 111,111 of each one of those four aspects. Thus you start off with doing 111,111 full-length prostrations while reciting a certain prayer, and that over time accumulates merit in order for you to be better enabled to ‘achieve’ the following aspects of the practise.

!O-3|-W;-

The Times They Are A-changin'

2011-04-20T07:55:00.000+01:00

The erstwhile famous words or lyrics from Bob Dylans’ song by the same title have greater significance in everyday life than just as far as history, politics, and society goes. It can, in fact, be ascribed to the concept of Impermanence which the Buddha referred to, although in many instances people largely also misinterpret the concept of Impermanence. Personally I prefer distinguishing between the differences by writing the one concept with a capital “I” and which is what the Buddha taught, and in the second instance with a small “i”, which is what most people tend to ascribe to it. Impermanence (with a capital “I”) is not an excuse, nor synonym, for mismanagement, incompetence, or lack of planning. It is the natural decay and disintegration of all compounded phenomena – that which is subject to arising is subject to ceasing. All things (perceived by living beings) eventually come to an end, by them self, as a natural matter of course. Though far too often these days when a situation is caused due to incompetence, or mismanagement, then people are very eager to ascribe it to “everything is impermanent, and changes all the time”. Yes it does, but that is not what that situation was.

Although the weather here is also changing, it also still seems a bit confused about things. But I am assured that this is quite typical, to a certain degree, for Scotland when the seasons change. Aside from the very fact that you can of course also very easily experience all four seasons in one day. We are now definitely into spring, which is apparent by the somewhat warmer temperatures, the increase in insects and birds, the increase in green vegetation, both plant and especially weeds, as well as the longer days. I am not sure I necessarily like these longer days, especially when it is still fairly light around 21h00, and then suddenly an hour later you have to go and sleep. And on top of it all I am told it does not improve for quite a while, namely only once we head back into autumn. It just doesn’t seem right! At the same time I have to remind myself that it is actually only 20h00, and it is only because they fiddled with the clocks that they now say it is 21h00. In actual fact the clocks should by all rights also only indicate 20h00, but with the so-called ‘daylight saving’ we find ourselves in a different situation.

While sitting outside in the sun earlier today, enjoying a cup of Hot Lava Java, which I do not get to do all that often, I also recalled how last time I was at Samye Ling in early autumn I had marvelled at the size of the bees there. In any body-building contest they would put the South African bees to shame. These are real brutes, huge, and with proper fur coating, armour and all. These here are easily five times or more in size to what I am used to, and accordingly also much louder. I can only assume that they are more appropriately adapted to the colder weather here. Make no mistake, even though most Brits and Scots are now running around in T-shirts already, to me it is still a trifle chilly. Which I feel much more so when there is even the slightest breeze ‘billowing’. They however reckon that this is comfortable weather; bordering on hot. I guess the insects tend to agree.

There are as many flies here as back home, but so far not near as many ants. In actual fact I must enquire whether they actually have any ants here at all, because so far I have not seen any. Not that I miss them in the least. No way! So that may be a good thing, as especially in Bronkhorstspruit they were a real menace. With the first sign of spring they would attack the kitchen and eventually the remainder of the building with a vengeance, all the counter tops which have just a trace of food on them, the sugar bowl, some fruit, cheese left out of the fridge, sometimes even the taps at the peak of summer, and of course also any plate with anything remotely edible left standing around, making up for the months of having to hide in their ‘not so little’ nests. There are then of course also the mosquitoes, with which we were particularly blessed in Bronkhorstspruit most likely due to the proximity to water. Though I have also been assured that that menace is something I have not entirely been freed from.

I thus also remember from last time at Samye Ling that every early evening, and mostly also on wind-still days, unless you have a lot of hair on your head, it is best to wear some covering or other. Whereas they do not have mosquitoes here, they have their smaller cousins named midges. Not as noisy as a mosquito, but just as much a nuisance. They attack en-masse. Huge numbers swarm together and go for mostly the head and face, but at times also other exposed skin surfaces. Probably a quarter the size of a regular mosquito, they none the less cause as much pain and discomfort. In addition, if any door or window is left open at night with the light on, then you quite like may find your ceiling and walls blackened with the little blighters. Quite silent in approach, but I can recall just as painful on the scalp as the bigger version I am used to. The only remedy appears to be to burn copious amounts of incense indoors, to smear Neem oil on your skin, and otherwise to wear a type of hat with netting very similar to what bee-keepers have, while outdoors during the day. And of course also have netting or gauze in front of windows and doors which you intend leaving open for fresh air, or else ensuring that all doors and windows are kept closed at all times. Interestingly enough it is reckoned that Scotland’s low population as compared to the remainder of Great Britain is due to the midge. Only real men and the feebleminded mess around in midge country. http://2010.midgeforecast.co.uk/index.php/info/midge_facts/

The other thing I am noticing again is how different the birds here look compared to what I am used to. I am, of course, mainly referring to the feathered variety. It struck me last time round how very different even the most basic garden variety bird here is, in that they all look much more interesting, and there also seems to be a much greater variety. There is naturally always the possibility that it is only because I am in different surrounds that there appears to be so much more of a variety, but at the temple at which I was previously I already regularly fed the little guys, and could thus closely observe them on a regular basis. Over time one even begins to recognise the regulars, as well as the different types, though I never bothered trying to identify them by species or type. The identification I am referring to was apart from the obvious or blatant differences, but on a more subtle level in the shading of their plumage, etc. Not like one which had gotten itself caught with some cotton around its legs on the barbed-wire fence at the townhouses where I stayed, and by the time I had managed to find a ladder and blade to free it, it had already pulled off its one leg at the knee in the struggle to free itself. So a one-legged bird is certainly very recognisable.

I also recall how I marvelled at the acceptance and adaptability of creatures in the wild. There is none of the self-pity one finds with humans, but simply a getting on with life. Initially it obviously struggled a bit to find its balance, and to land properly first time round, but in a couple of days it was if that is how it had always been. The fact that I had handled it in the process of freeing it did not in any way make it more accepting of me, though I did feel it was slightly less skittish of my presence than most of the others. Almost as if it knew or sensed that this was not something to be too afraid of. Thus over time I had the entertainment of watching them feed outside my kitchen window, and also allow myself to be irritated by the fact that they had to pick at each and every new edible mulberry, instead of eating one completely before moving on to the next, and thus also leaving some for me to enjoy.

Obviously this entertainment was reserved for the daylight hours, and thus did little in replacing the otherwise boring and mundane TV programs aired by the national broadcaster. Since leaving South Africa, or actually London, I have not seen any TV, and I also do not miss it. But then again, I do not know what television or the programs here are like, and perhaps I would find it more entertaining. Apart from the odd comedy and documentary there seldom seemed to be anything worthwhile on regular South African television. I will admit, though, I do miss occasionally seeing a new movie, and to have the entire experience of being in a movie house. This may seem odd as I would invariably only go when I knew that it would largely be fairly empty, and not swamped with the noise and smells of people around. Fortunately one of the guys allowed me to copy a copious amount of movies from his computer before he went into retreat, and so from time to time I get to watch a movie on my laptop. Obviously they are mostly older ones, and many which I have seen before, but none the less a nice diversion on occasion. I could get myself a TV, like the other caretakers here have got, and money permitting maybe I will consider it one day, but for now I am quite content to not have one.

The other item of which I have not had very much of here, much to my delight, is dust. I am not sure whether it is due to the high rainfall, which hence also keeps the air generally very moist and small particles clumped together and down on the ground, or if there is some other reason. Where I was previously it was largely hot and dry in summer, and cold and dry in winter. This meant it was mostly more dry than anything else, and dust was always a major issue, to the extend that one could even call it a problem. Any surface, given less than a week, would be covered in a fine layer of dust. Many would also interpret and classify dust it as dirt, but I guess that is of course entirely open to interpretation. What after all is dirt? What is dust? Both are remnants or indicators of impermanence, as well as the very concept of Impermanence. They are the beginning and the end, and not only in terms of Buddhist teachings, but many other sacred teachings make reference to dust and decay as well.

Often there is also an indication that there is not only an abundance of dust within our realm, but largely it is a normal or natural consequence of existence. Thus we are not entirely dust-free here, but it is less of an issue. The moment you have sand around, and wind, then you have suitable conditions for fine particles to be carried through the air, which will eventually settle somewhere on a surface. In addition, apparently a very large portion of house dust is actually dead skin. Among much of these motes of dust is also an abundance of mites. Little nasties in the sense that some living beings are born with a natural aversion or allergy to them, while others seem to be less affected by them. I can recall from youngest childhood having various respiratory issues, mainly associated with my nose and sinuses, but also resultant headaches and similar problems. Many of these phenomena have been less pronounced here. My nose and lips have certainly suffered considerably less than back in South Africa, in terms of dryness and being cracked.

Be it as it may, as long as impermanence is an existing phenomena, so long there will always be dust. Everything that arises will eventually cease to be, and with physical or material objects they do and will break down into individual particles, consisting of even smaller components until one comes to the atom, with its nucleus consisting of a protons and neutrons, with a varying number of electrons spinning around the nucleus. Everything is held in place by ‘attraction’, or due to electrical polarity. As long as there is an equal number of protons and electrons the atom is ‘stable’, and not much happens. When, however, the attraction between the various components alters or ceases altogether, as we should well know from human relationships, then the entire situation becomes less than stable, and things start to fall apart. In some instances there is an unstable existence right from the word go, but we shall not concern ourselves with these now, other than to say that as with human beings the situation can invariably be quite explosive. Any relationship or situation with these criteria is doomed to impermanence quicker than others. But ultimately all existing attractions cease, all bonds break, and it is the end.

All things are in a continual flux, they are constantly changing from moment to moment, in fact from less than a second to less than a second. It happens so fast that we do not register and or realise it even at all. But regardless, change is the only constant. Just as time is changing from one second to the next, so everything which we perceive, all things which came together or were in one way or another created will cease to be. Material things, ideas and designs, relationships, poems, stories and songs, teachings, information and knowledge, all will pass away.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust -- and from the ashes the phoenix shall arise?

!O-3|-W;-

General Questions and Answers 2

2011-04-14T22:01:00.000+01:00

From where are the food items sourced that have to be bought?

There are essentially three different main sources. With keeping in line of trying to have as healthy an environment as possible, we also endeavour to preferably and mainly buy fresh and organic produce where and when possible.

Accordingly there are two weekly orders, which are for fresh fruit and vegetables, and then general grocery items like bread, Quorn, cheese and yoghurt, milk, cereals, eggs, etc. The fruit and vegetables are always ordered every Saturday from a local person, who apparently gets them from Glasgow and delivers them to us on a Monday morning. I say apparently, because I have been questioning both the quality and freshness for a while already. It is also due to this that one of the other guys here, Ross, has started a vegetable patch. In the next two to three months we will hopefully also be erecting the frame for the poly-tunnel which was donated to us, provided we can find a sponsor for the actual polythene covering which we will need especially for winter usage.

The cheese and yoghurt are purchased from Arran Dairies on an as needed basis, and bread is usually bought twice a week to ensure it is adequately fresh. On occasion, as my blog testifies, I also bake bread, but usually only when there is no bread to be bought, or when I feel very energetic and adventurous.

A further shortcoming we have is that there are not adequate, nor proper, cold storage facilities. Accordingly this also greatly limits what and how much we can purchase at any given time, as well as for how long I can keep any leftovers, for example. All we have is an ‘under-counter’ type fridge, which has the tiny ‘limited freezing’ compartment which is not even 1-star rated.

To make sure we have adequate food available at all times, which becomes significant in winter when we are snowed in for a week or two at a time, we greatly rely on dry rations like various types of beans, lentils, chick peas, etc. These, as well as certain other items, like rice, yeast, herbs and (very limited) spices, raisons, etc. are ordered on a monthly basis from a company in Glasgow called Greencity. They specialise in organic, vegan, and vegetarian foods and products, and generally carry environment friendly products as well.

If (you) order a book from Amazon or similar, where is the item delivered?

All items I order, as well as which may be sent to anybody else here as a gift by family or so, or emergency medicines, are essentially delivered to the front ‘door’ (gate). The Royal Mail delivers at least once a day including Saturdays, and if required on occasion even twice a day. Larger items, or signature required items, are invariable delivered by courier, and that happens when there is an item to be delivered. On occasion even after dark.

I have to admit; on the whole the postal system here is absolutely amazing. It is generally fast, efficient, reliable, and honest; all the things one would expect from a postal service and does NOT find in South Africa. The only limitation we have is being on an island, which is ferry dependant, and adverse weather can interfere with such from time to time.

In addition, on-line buying is a big ‘industry’ in the UK. One buys, or can order, just about anything on-line, and have it delivered in a very short period of time. Not just books and CDs, but ANYTHING. I ordered my bicycle on-line on a Tuesday afternoon, and around lunchtime on Friday it was delivered. Mountain bike with all the basic extras one requires for a safe ride weather dependant, like helmet and gloves/mittens. Any order issues are usually attended to by the supplier or merchant very quickly, and worst case scenario you may have to pay for the return postage. If for whatever reason it is their fault, however, or occasionally for a good customer relationship, they will then even cover return postage as well. In that regard it is a buyer’s paradise.

How do you prevent the water supply pipes from freezing during winter?

The best is to have all the water pipes which are outside buried underground about twenty to thirty centimetres, but preferably more to be on the safe side. Where they have to come above ground for whatever reason you cover them with foam pipe lagging / insulation. This comes in various thicknesses, but as long as most pipes have some water flowing from time to time, then the insulation does not need to be too thick. If they are also exposed to fairly strong winds then the thicker insulation is better due to the effect of the wind-chill factor. And where they run in the roofs there is usually adequate or appropriate insulation for the prevailing weather conditions in any case.

We only had the water supply pipes to the caretaker ablution hut freezing up twice, and that was due to somebody not properly insulating two pipes after they had been digging in the garden nearby. Once I insulated them properly after they had thawed out we have not had a recurrence again.

Have you had problems with the storage dam wall cracking?

The dam wall you must be referring to is the one for the emergency supply for the fire department. As this is a standard type farm dam it is built ‘perfectly’ round. One advantage of this is that any pressure exerted by the water (under any condition) is done equally in all directions.

Furthermore, when the water does freeze up it is at most maybe the top twenty centimetres that freeze, not the whole dam. Hence there is plenty of ‘fluidity’ or ‘absorption’ to the bottom to accommodate the pressure as the ice starts to build up.

But even three to five centimetres is enough to be able to walk on the water. ;-)

!O-3|-W;-

Organised and In Control

2011-04-11T21:57:00.000+01:00

That is almost what the lecture title of an advantaged business managed course could sound like, or the advice that any parent may give their teenage children, as to how one should lead ones life. Largely that is probably also what many people aspire towards and a surprisingly large number actually also believe that they are achieving. The far more surprising part is not the organised part, though even that is somewhat questionable, but the ‘in control’ part most certainly is. I mention this because now that I have managed to sort out some aspects about the structure of my blog, but by no means all of them yet, I am under the impression that I am now organised, and somewhat in control of this endeavour or undertaking.

Invariably and inevitably most people get up in the mornings believing that they are going to live forever, and also that they are managing their lives, thus are in control of their lives. The truth of the matter is of course entirely different. Nobody is going to live for ever - ever. In the once popular theme song from the movie and musical Fame, “I’m going to live forever”, they are naturally also not referring to the continued existence of the physical, fleshy human body. Because that begins to deteriorate the moment we are born. It seems to not be so, since as we grow up we gradually become stronger, taller, bigger, and we also manage to learn certain skills and activities, but if viewed purely at an atomic level, then we should realise that with every growing day there is also a process of oxidation that takes place, and accordingly after birth there is only one certainty, and that is death of the physical body. But in the movie Fame they are naturally referring to the name or status one creates for oneself, and then again, even that only lives on as long as there is a means of recording, of ‘remembering’, it.

The fact that people believe that they are managing their lives stems from the fact that they make plans which they strive towards, and then when they achieve those goals, whether specifically or only generally, then they feel they have done what they set out to achieve. The natural perception from that is that they managed the process, hence they are in control. But to fully realise how little control we have over most things in our lives, one just needs to consider being in a motor vehicle, which can easily travel in excess of 150km/h, on a freeway where you are legally allowed to travel at 120km/h, and to be stationary! There is a car in front of you, a car behind you, a car to your left, and a centre rail to your right. You have a very important appointment you have to get to in the next half an hour, but the traffic is not moving.

No amount of screaming and shouting, of swearing and gesticulating, of pounding the steering wheel, of listening to any and all traffic news reports and other radio stations, taking out your mobile and frantically making phone calls, nothing is going to get the traffic to move. As long as none of the cars around you are going to move, so long you are not going to go anywhere either, whether fast or even slow. Regardless of how important that meeting or appointment, even if it is a matter of the deal of a lifetime, or a matter of life and death, it suddenly dawns on you that you are not in control of the situation. Not in the slightest in control! It does not matter who you are, what status or position you occupy in society, how rich you are, how intelligent and learned you are, whom you know, whether you are driving a clapped-out old city golf or the latest model Porsche, you ain’t going nowhere. That can be a very sobering and also very powerful realisation.

Sadly most people do not come to that realisation, but only allow them self to be frustrated beyond reproach, and consequently make themselves very angry and bitter in the process of wasting a lot of energy over a situation they have no control over. Largely we do not actually have much control over most of our lives, but we fail to realise that, and even more significantly we fail to admit it. Having your life organised is not out of necessity going to make it more controlled or even controllable, but it will certainly delude us into believing such. Generally one should probably endeavour to have an organised life, as it will make managing things easier, and consequently also create a greater sense of being in control, as long as one always reminds oneself that ultimately it is only an illusion. In terms of Buddhism there is the added component of Karma that comes into play, but even if one does not believe in Karma, it does not change the fact that when reviewing ones life, more often than not one has to concede that much of what happened, and even more so how it happened, is hardly in line with what one had planned or intended for things to unfold.

At times these things unfold more easily and ‘better’, but in the majority of instances that is probably not the case. Thus you may now be wondering what does any of this have to do with my blog? It is quite simple really, in that I at one stage thought that if I get the basic template sorted out, and design the various elements and colours, slot in the widgets I think I should have, then after that it is just a matter of quickly typing something up during the course of the day, and posting it that night or early the next morning. Yeah right! Not only are there constantly issues and aspects as far as the template and internet access and so on go, but there are all the other things one so easily overlooks. Like lack of electricity or only limited electricity, problems with the satellite connection, one or other unspecific computer issue (simply because computers and software are largely unpredictable at the best of times), time itself, when there is something else which is more important right then than writing a page of opinions and experiences, or when your day does not unfold the way you thought you had planned it. No matter how much thought you put into that aspect, there is always something that one has overlooked.

Thus if one is not careful, then one day flows into the next, and by the time you realise it, you have already not written anything for two or three days. The same happened with this particular piece you are reading right now, except that it was substantially more than two or three days. It was intended to be finished and posted more than a week ago. That does not mean that nothing got done during then and now, but for those who have been following the blog regularly they will have noticed some changes happening almost every day. We are now at the point where these changes are likely to be considerably less, and also more of a slight ‘cosmetic’ nature than anything significant, or particularly noticeable to the majority of readers. Many other things not related to this blog in any way have also been done during the time, and I could have become quite frantic and frustrated, or even decided to altogether throw in the towel and not continue with this little project, than to do what I did. That is viewing it as an exercise in tolerance, patience, diligence, effort or perseverance, in order to see this through to the end. Without doing anything much else, l actually practised at perfecting some of the six (or ten) perfections one strives to achieve in Buddhism. The Paramitas are invariably always seen as being something very lofty and special that one has to put a lot of effort into, in order to practise them properly, while in actual fact they get perfected in the course of normal everyday living.

The six more common ones that one is encouraged to practise are charity / generosity, discipline / restraint, endurance / patience, diligence / zeal, concentration / meditation, and wisdom. These are qualities not unique to Buddhism, as all religions advocate them in one form or another, yet in our modern times very few and preciously little of most of them is being practised properly. But more about that another time.

!O-3|-W;-

Furniture Church and Pets Rule

2011-04-09T20:03:00.000+01:00

I guess that could be the ideal title or headline to catch most people’s attention in any newspapers. It certainly caught my attention, that is, the fact that it is so, and not the headline itself. This past Thursday, 7 April 2010, I needed to go to what is known here as Job Centre Plus. Normally this is where people go seeking employment, but in my case it was to have an interview for my application for a National Insurance Number. Most of the forms and documents can of course be completed and sent in via post, fax or email, but humans having created the systems that they have, have also devised ways of getting around these systems. Hence, as with pension, disability, and unemployment these days, there comes a time when the authorities want to see the person in body, and to put it bluntly “to verify that you actually exist” and are still alive.

The nearest such centre for us on the Isle of Arran is at Saltcoats, which is on the mainland. Thus this was also the very first time in almost six months that I left the island and took the ferry back to Ardrosan Harbour. From there it is short maybe three mile walk to the main shopping area of Saltcoats, and where the Job Centre Plus is also found. Along the way I passed a typical beach as one would find in South Africa anywhere along the coast, except I thought this beach was really a waste of a beach. Who in their right mind would go to the beach with the temperatures here being what they are? And even if you went there, it is doubtful if anybody would want to go for a swim. The sun is certainly not strong enough to do anything much in the line of even starting a sun tan, but that is also why there are a fair amount of tanning studios about.

Not wanting to be late for this very important appointment for me, which already took close on ten weeks to set up, I first established the exact location of the offices, before proceeding to have a look at the shops as I was half an hour early. While doing so I was ‘comforted’ to know that crime does exist in Scotland as well, in the sense that somebody had obviously not too long ago that very morning gained access to a chemist through the front door by means of a paving stone. And though that was the very first and only incidence of crime I have experienced since leaving South Africa, I am told it does happen more frequently on the mainland, but it is very seldom violent crime, and even in this instance was most likely perpetrated by some junky desperately in need of drugs.

It is an almost one-hour ferry ride from the island back to the mainland, and it was a real excursion for me, not only hardly having had any exposure to society or much noise and traffic, not that even here there was much traffic or noise, but it was certainly considerably more busy and lively than on the island. And then obviously there are also all the extra people. On Arran there is an average regular population of around 5 000, which I am told during the tourist season or summer months, starting round about now, increases to around 25 000. The chances of my normally meeting even five percent of Arran’s population in a year is fairly slim, while in Saltcoats I easily came across two or three thousand people throughout the course of the day.

Saltcoats is essentially one of the less affluent areas of Scotland, with high unemployment and accordingly high very young pregnant women, and men with too much time on their hands. According to this one would think that they do not have too much spare cash to spend either, yet walking along the shops gave me a different experience. It is a regular little town with most amenities, at least compared to Bronkhorstspruit where I had lived my previous ten years. In Saltcoats there is an abundance and variety of shops, but with some startling phenomena, or observations by myself. Most of the churches have been converted in to shops or businesses (see two of my photos). In the one instance I spoke with the young sales woman inside, and she told me she quite regularly has people walking in saying that they were married in that church, or they got christened there, and the likes. So, churches are out, but shopping is in. The most prevalent shop I came across and I recall counting about eight, though I may have missed one or two, are pet shops. Plus, if my memory serves me, two pouch or pet grooming parlours. Thus pets are well catered for. Next most popular or prevalent were stores with baby things, and ‘wedding boutiques’. Very closely followed by photographers, who were also much in evidence.

I assume for anybody living there they do not notice these things, but as an outsider, being there for the very first time, naturally some things stand out. Just as when I for the very first time drove through Bronkhorstspruit about fifteen years ago, I was stunned by the huge number of funeral parlours and burial homes. Naturally the one place which always makes money, regardless of how much unemployment there is, are bars and pubs, and gambling salons or horse racing and betting venues. They are inevitably always well frequented. And finally there is an abundance of charity shops, though they are not charity shops as I know them from South Africa. Possibly every third or fourth shop, which from the outside looks like any other clothes boutique, and even when you walk in it has the look and feel of an ordinary clothing shop, turns out to be run by one or other charity, and the clothes are invariably fairly cheaply priced.

Just because the clothes, books, CDs and the likes are cheaply priced does not mean that they are shabby, nor necessarily that the quality is cheap. It appears that there are people out there, obviously people with more money than sense, who will not wear a pair of jeans for more maybe two or three months. Nor most of their other garments for that matter. The books and CDs etc. were less worth looking at, but I ‘picked up’ a decent pair of jeans for £4.99, and two long-sleeved T-shirts for £2.00 each. Not only is this possibly the best fitting pair of denims I have had in a very long time, but it certainly looks the same, if not better, than the customary pre-worn-look denims most people pay a lot of money for. And the quality of material is really exceptional. I had ordered other clothes on-line, but with pants it is always a bit of an iffy thing as far as size goes, as I discovered while still trying to obtain a pair of cycling tights. But maybe more of that saga another time – for now back to my excursion in Saltcoats.

I was also hoping to find some decent priced roller blinds, as with the changing angle and duration of the sun the afternoons have become somewhat of a challenge in my cabin as far as reading and computer work goes. It turns out that even the Pakistani-run cheap-price stores are not really all that much cheaper when it comes to roller blinds or similar window coverings. And the hardware stores do not even stock them, but they advised me that within about a ten minute walk I would find a place called B&Q who make awnings, and if they could not make me the blinds to size, they could probably sell me some canvass, which I will most likely end up with in any event, and then make a makeshift kind or roller blind for the windows myself.

I am not sure if the woman in the hardware store is a long-distance runner, or what? After walking briskly for about fifteen minutes in the given direction I wisely thought I should check that I am on the right path (and who says men don’t ask for directions, hey?) to find out that I was indeed going in the right direction. When I then proceeded to ask the guy how much further it was, it assured me not more than five minutes by bus. BY BUS??? My ferry was leaving in forty-five minutes, and that was now another about eight kilometres in the opposite direction. Yeah, so I gave that one up as a bad idea and did catch a bus, but straight back to the harbour. That is one of the really wonderful things in Europe which I have always appreciated, the public transport system. There is almost always either a train, a bus, or both, going in the general direction of most places you may want to go to. And even if you do not want to take a bus or train, it is generally quite safe to walk on your own. The freedom of walking anywhere in the town, in the streets or harbour, and not to have to unnecessarily worry about being attacked or robbed is so liberating and glorious.

As with most cities I have travelled to in Europe, Guatemala, Taiwan, Malaysia, even Botswana, I am always struck by how clean the streets are. In parts of Botswana it is perhaps pushing it a bit, but in Saltcoats the streets were practically gleaming. Obviously you find the odd piece of paper or cigarette butt lying around, but on the whole, especially when compared to Johannesburg, Pretoria, or even Bronkhorstspruit, they were stunningly clean. In addition there are guys walking around to sweep the streets and pavements, and to pick up an litter which somebody may inadvertently have thrown on the ground (none of that alleged employment creating nonsense here), but … they are actually walking around, not standing or sitting still somewhere talking to one another, and they are actively doing their work, not admiring the rubbish lying on the ground while idly picking their noses.

I also learnt on this excursion to not continue trying to get a signal if the signal is known to be weak, but to rather wait until I am where I know there is the signal is strong, and thus save the mobile battery life for more useful things. Because unnecessarily trying to find a signal, or trying to log on to a very weak signal, wastes an immense amount of power of the battery unnecessarily. And thus the final comment I have to make concerns a notice on the ferry which sadly I could not take a picture of because the battery of my mobile phone had gone flat, but which I shall photograph next time. The sign read: “Parents are kindly requested for the benefit of all guests to ensure that their children do not run around the ship.” I may have the exact wording slightly wrong, but the gist remains the same. And it struck me that if their children really did manage to run around the ship, then they would be miracle children, as they would have perfected the art of walking on water. See what the church dilemma has done to me now? At best they could be swimming around the ship, but surely not running around it? I assume what they were getting at was to not run around on the ship. Well, how sure can I already be?

!O-3|-W;-