SUNDAY 22 May ~ A Wet & Windy Day Keeps the Bees Indoors

[Dharmavidya]

It has been a very wet and windy day. I therefore spent most of it indoors working on writing projects. However, in the afternoon the weather eased a little so I took advantage of the inclement conditions to go out and cut the grass in proximity to the bee hive, the bees being, very sensibly, indoors. There was very little sign of them, so I was able to achieve my task without any risk of getting mobbed or stung.

Reflections on Community

We are still an all male community. At present we are four. Being here at Eleusis one experiences many changes in the community. Over the years I have become acclimatised to such changes. People come and go. The character of the community can change considerably depending upon personalities. Some people work hard and some don't, some talk a lot and some very little, some bring interesting stories and some don't, some are jovial and some gloomy, there is no one way to be. This is one of those places where people can, more than in most, find their own level and, often, in the process, they find they are able to be and do more than they thought. In a strange sort of way, there is a kind of healthy indifference which gives people space and allows positive aspects to surface gradually in a natural way. In many social situations there is a kind of forced positivity which can be counter-productive. If we feel obliged to smile, we probably end up miserable, but if we are allowed to be what we are, we may find good things arise of their own accord. From ime to time we have 'gatherings' and listen to one another and at those times one may get some sense of what may be going on under the surface - the fears and inhibitions that people have, their worries and attachments. This is always enriching in one way or another. It is not easy to put a theory around how this process works, but little by little there is a deepening of our appreciation of one another and of the human condition.

[Dharmavidya]

Yes, I think that that is right. We impose identities upon others so that we can predict and control, I think. When people do something that we see as 'out of character' it is as if they are upsetting the plot of the play that we are all participating in. However, the 'play' is a pretense so such upsetting can sometimes be a wake-up.

[Carol English]

It is interesting that you should characterise this as healthy indifference. Somehow I think of it as allowing people to be what there are, not imposing a view on them. Buddhist psychology talks a lot about no inherent self but never makes explicit the human tendancy to foist identities on others. These identities pressed upon an individual from without can act just as much like prisons as identities clung to from within. Whether I find myself compelled to comply with the views of others or to react against them, both become unecessary limitations. Perhaps we need a certain amount of this to live in community but the idea of healthy indifference seems to capture something more open. Can we let one another have the space to explore and unfold?