Jade Mountains - Practice Within the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives

Take Shape - Baby Buddha

Rev. Mugo — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:55:16 -0400

So quickly a fold crease forms. Soon to take shape around a baby Buddha
As with fabric and clothes so too with our bodies. Creases form over time! In addition how we habitually fold ourselves, and unfold, conditions how our form moves. I guess this follows on from the Buddha pears.... Unknowingly we cast ourselves in a mold, adopt a shape.

This too is subject to change.

New Leaves - Deeper Truths

Rev. Mugo — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:07:48 -0400

Field Maple
Keep in! the teacher at the back of the line of children called, gently, as they scuttled excitedly from the school yard onto the pavement this morning. Ah sunshine! I shared a little in their excitement remembering teacher telling us to Keep in as we scramble out of school to go on a ramble. Two by two, hand in hand and one behind the other. Just once a year we went into the woods during school time to...ramble. I loved those days.

The new leaves on the Field Maple caught my eye. They shine. Then as other leaves grow they lose their shine, mature and mellow. As is the way of things. One sees this process everywhere. Easy to think in sad terms. Perhaps in terms of passing time and all that brings in an everyday way. Of aging; decay and eventual shriveling up and ceasing to be. But I think not. Not today. There is something eternal in the scuttling excited children as with the new leaves. (And also equally true with the shriveled leaf.) There is certainly a depth to existence which is not diminished by mere passing of physical time.

Buddha Pears - Believe It Or Believe It Not

Rev. Mugo — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:12:09 -0400

Gao has been working on his pear-growing technique for six years and this season he managed to grow 10,000 Buddha-shaped baby pears. Each fruit is grown in an intricate Buddha mold and ends up looking like a juicy figurine. The ingenious farmer says the locals in his home village of Hexia, norther China, have been buying his Buddha pears as soon as he picks them from the trees. Most of them think they are cute and that they bring good luck. Chinese Farmer Grows Buddha-Shaped Pears

It did take a bit of time for the truth of this interesting endeavour to sink in. Buddha shaped pears. Amazing!

Thank goodness we who aspire to sit still (meditate) don't grow in molds. Although that's a common mistake in the early days. Well intentioned newbies quite often attempt to fit into an imagined ideal posture for meditation. And once there attempt to internally mould themselves into meditation mind.

Now Stepping Forward, Now Stepping Back

Rev. Mugo — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:23:54 -0400

It is your own brilliantly luminous Treasure House.

Let loose this brilliance through your eyes, (and)
you bathe the Buddha body and Buddha Land in splendor;

Buster bathes his Buddha body on a long walk in the Lake District.

when you set this luminosity free through your ears,
you can hear the sounds and voices of the Buddhas at work;

Two young owls hang out waiting for parental rescue.

When you let this radiance pass out through your hands,
you change yourself as well as others;

Herdwick sheep of The Lake District - I'm thinking knitting!

when you let it pass out through your feet,
you put yourself into action,
now stepping forward, now stepping back.

View back from Fairfied summit.

Great Master Keizan

Many thanks to the monk who took the photograph of the owls and for his and others company on perhaps the longest and most arduous walk I have ever done. The Fairfield Horseshoe circular walk starting at Rydal Hall. Wonderful walk. Good company. Still. No wind.

Working Together - Shared Vision

Rev. Mugo — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:09:04 -0400

Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know.

Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.

Lao Tzu

Yes, the best of it is working together. (This subject seems to be popping before me at the moment.) Working together to actualize a vision, a dream, a plan, a project. Build a house, build a community, build a garden, cook for a crowd. Or in my recent past, knit a tank top for the late Iain Robinson's grandson. Quite a number of people contributed towards it's eventual completion. Completed this very night.

One can think that working together means a lot of people, or a few, all in the same place at the same time doing something - BIG. And of course that is true and very enjoyable. It can also however mean a number of individuals, with particular skills or resources, living at a distance, contributing at different times to achieve a vision.

The basis of Buddhism is that Shakyamuni Buddha found Enlightenment and if he, a human being with human weaknesses and strengths, can do it we can know that too. His life is our inspiration, our lives and actions can be an inspiration to others. ...and what exactly IS leadership?

The Art Of Collaboration - Growing Compassion

Rev. Mugo — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:18:08 -0400

This evening I had a little bit of time to follow up on a link to a Huffington Post blogger which eventually lead me to Appleton, Wisconsin, USA. Now then. Just where abouts is that?

View Larger Map

And in Appleton a very interesting project has been underway and is now pouring the waters of compassion on all who visit this interesting exhibition. A mosaic of compassion.

The Appleton Compassion Project is a community art project involving 10,436 Appleton Area School District K-12 art students. In Fall 2010, participating students received a 6-inch-by-6-inch art panel to draw or paint their idea of compassion.

The inspiration behind the project came from Richard Davidson, PhD — a University of Wisconsin-Madison brain researcher who has found that those who practice compassion have measurably healthier brains. What’s more, Davidson’s research shows that compassion can be learned, and should be practiced, as a skill. “A little more joy might be within everyone’s reach,” says Davidson.

My thought and pondering is on the process of this project. That's the involvement of a community in a collaborative endeavour. Could it be that working together can in itself be an expression of compassion? Certainly so if one thinks of compassion as acceptance . In my experience there needs to be lots of exercising acceptance when working with others on a project. Living in community, monastic community in my case, is a huge expression of compassion now I think about it....

Enjoy the show and thanks to the person who lead me to this most interesting effort. After my own heart.

A Lightness To The Step

Rev. Mugo — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:54:27 -0400

Bluebells in hedgerow. Nature does it so well!
Not for the first time I inwardly nodded with approval. Over the past few years, slowly but surely, a once crumbling building is being restored to a serviceable state. There is clearly a quality job being done. As I walked on it occurred to me that I might have been disapproving of this project. Interestingly I realized that it didn't matter in the slightest what I thought! Thoughts are not the thing. How easy it can be to get caught up in ones own thoughts. To approve of approving or disapprove of disapproving! Uh! What a mine field, thankfully this time just seen from the edge of the field.

I walked on up the lane where life showed itself in that uplifting way which brings lightness to the step. A bird on a branch sings for you alone. A wildflower shows itself in its utter simplicity. An industrious Thrush pecks for worms. Lambs charm. The way only new lambs can.

Perhaps my regular steps past the builders work is much like being ignited by bird song, wild flowers and sunlight shafting through branches. I appreciate the beautiful brick work and the little architectural details emerging from the rubble. Brings a lightness to my step, now I think about it.

So what am I getting at here? Perhaps a small reminder to walk with a lighter step inwardly and find inward compassion when judgmentalism has us walk with heavy step.

As we are within so we are with others.

Another Grand Day Out

Rev. Mugo — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:18:38 -0400

The huge black cast iron tea kettle was swinging wildly on its hook above the Muker Tea Shop. The wind was that strong. Even so a small group, including a dog, walked in Upper Swaledale today. From Keld to Muker and back with a stop of lunch. Brrr was it cold! We were a bit early in the year to see the wildflower meadows however the photographs on this site show the area really well. It is well worth a tour of the site, the photographs are really good.

The drive to Keld reminded me once again how very close I am to this wild country of Yorkshire. Stunning at any time of the year. But best of all, today, was the opportunity to walk and talk with members of the Sangha. To test out my thoughts and learn too. Wonderful. Another Grand Day Out and thanks particularly to Nic for organizing the event for us.

Recovered

Rev. Mugo — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:24:55 -0400

In a car park, Calw Black Forest. Calw is the birthplace of Hermann Hesse.
Since my last entry I have traveled! (Southern Germany to North West England, with an over night stops in The Netherlands and Northumberland). AND A dead hard drive brought back to life. (Who said the professionals know everything!) A couple of days rest and recovery. Several loads of laundry. Several hours trying to fathom knitting pattern instructions....(photo of garment to follow.)

Yes, I am recovered enough to sit and type this. I am inspired by the comment asking if my return to England meant I stopped writing posts! No, the posts must go on. Ideally I like to write every day and if not that every other day.

" . . . it is not for me to pass judgment on those prisoners who put their own people above everyone else. Who can throw a stone at a man who favors his friends under circumstances when, sooner or later, it is a question of life or death? No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same." p. 68.

Victor Frankl - Man's Search For Meaning.

A moment to ponder I think.

Where It Is

Rev. Mugo — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:11:21 -0400

The Three Treasures bell.

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or we find it not.

Anonymous

Searching here and there
we may trip
and
falling over a stone
find it beautiful!

Mugo - May 2012

Here ends this series of poems and sayings. Quite soon I will climb aboard transport and eventually find myself in the North West of England again. Until then thank you to those who have read here, have left comments and who continue to read here. All very much appreciated.
May you bump into beauty, or what ever you want to call that which causes the heart to burst into song. My time here in the Black Forest and in The Netherlands has been song-full!