Here at La Ville au Roi (Eleusis) we are already on the third day of our Anshin Retreat. There has not been time to write Dailies or Daily teachings, but my talks here are being filmed and will appear eventually. Apart from the activities of the retreat itself we have also been charmed by little Tara the kitten finding her way around, each day having some new adventure. It is a wonderful thing to see her and to think how the world must appear and come alive to so tiny a creature. Yesterday she met four chickens at Oasis as we visited briefly to see Annette who has some health problems. We want to get Tara used to car travel so whenever we go a little local journey we take her along. At Oasis they have four chickens. If you are the size of Tara they must seem like meeting dinosaurs. However, the chickens were actually to more timid in the event.
Then, of course, there is the background to us of great political events unfolding. I joked over breakfast this morning that after the vote within the Labour Party on the leadership, it should be open to the Scottish Nationalists to claim to be the official opposition at Westminster. Later I turned on my computer briefly to catch the headlines and found it had already happened! One must be careful what one jokes about.
In the retreat itself we have had some silent time and some community time, some practice periods and some scope for discussions. There is a very good atmosphere and we have looked particularly at how faith functions in relation to primary Buddhist teachings such as emptiness, the paramitas, non-self, and the image so much used in oriental Buddhism of the moon reflected in water, the moon representing the Dharma or Buddha Nature. When are we mirrors of the Dharma and when are we just trying to shine our own light? Do we have to faith to let go of our efforts to impress, to be in control, to attract attention to ourselves? do we really trust that the Buddhas will hold us and all will be well?
The weather has been good to us so fat. It is very pleasant to sit outside. Work over recent months has led to us now having a 'refectory area' in the centre of the large barn which is very pleasant for communal meals. It feels somewhat as though we had moved the whole site further south, being very reminiscent to me of the south of France.
I'll stop now since tara is climbing onto my lap and wants some attention. Namo Amida Bu.
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