It's been a week already since I left traveling sangha from India pilgrimage. Sixteen brother and sisters with whom I shared living quarters and travels during a total of sixteen days. Sitting under trees, eating rich Indian food, discussing the teachings, riding the bus, walking around stupas, having pee fests in lentil fields, exchanging medicines, shopping for Buddha souvenirs, visiting temples, riding ricksaws, . . . together.
Many happy moments, and also some struggles from the inevitable frictions of separate egos interacting. Conflicting wants and needs, differing points of views, personalities with various degrees of skillfulness, shadows in full display, gave us all ample matter for practice. I had left the imperfect community of my family for this new, just as fallible assembly of brothers and sisters.
Mindfulness, and also remembering Gil's advice, that "You may not like them, but you ought to love them", helped me patch a few rough patches, in the privacy of my heart. Now back home, it is more of the same. Learning to compose, moment to moment, with the ebbs and flows of communal life. Being grateful for the pleasure of happy times, and the learning from difficult ones.
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May your home life be warm:)
ReplyDeleteDQ
Thank you Donna, for your kind wishes. I just peaked over at your blog, and was delighted by all the pics of your family. So much love there . . .
ReplyDeleteGlad to be able to read your blogs again.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am happy to reconnect with you here, and on IMC Community site :)
ReplyDeletewith much metta.
Marguerite,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing the clear and down to earth experiences. People seem to think that just because we practice Buddhism, all of the sudden our human being feelings will somehow dissolve and be replaced with "something else." This notion makes me laugh, because I always think of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." There's no such thing.
Awakening Mind, is no really transcending, it's fully Being. I love McDonald's french fries. I've enjoyed them before and during the 18 years of my Zen practice... I'm happy about. If I was no longer human because of practice, that would be a very bad thing.
Yours In Zen,
~Seiho
Thanks Seiho. I only know how to be truthful. Anything else does not apply. This is one of the main reasons I have so much faith in Dharma, and Buddha. It pleases me to read your words, knowing that you too have similar understanding of the journey.
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