FRIDAY 2 Sept ~ Wet & Dry
This morning, as most Fridays, we went to Oasis.
Tara met up with the hens
Adam had a splash in the pool
Dharmavidya's Discussions (996)
Sort by
BUDDHISM & 'SELF-AWARENESS'
In my post: Principles Against Some Common Fallacies...
1. Buddhism only values 'self-awareness' insofar as it cultivates humility and compassion.
The point here is that 'self-awareness' is not, in Buddhism, a goal in itself. Buddhism is not about de
Read more…THURSDAY 1 Sept ~ The Birds Have Flown
Our little birds have left the nest. It is empty now. They have joined the dozens of other ones that loop around our years and fly through the refectory, in one end and out the other. I guess they are all hearing stories about Africa and chasing the
Read more…DUALITIES & NONDUALITIES
There is a passage...
銀碗盛雪 明月藏鷺 類而不斉 混則知處
“A silver bowl full of snow / a white egret hidden in the moonlight / these are not the same / comparing them we can appreciate [our own] place”
This comes from the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, a medieval Chinese
WEDNESDAY 31 Aug ~ Blackberry Season
Picking berries on one's own is a very silent activity. Here at La Ville au Roi much of the time there is no ambiant npoise whatsoever. With only the mantra rolling around my brain for company I set off to pick the first real takings. It is apparent
Read more…TUESDAY 30 Aug ~ Autumn is Coming
The month is nearly over. Time flies. Walking in the woods today I was conscious of the first fallen leaves. Autumn is coming. Everywhere blackberries are ripening. Today we harvested our first pumpkin, a big yellow one. The tomatoes are ripening too
Read more…IS THE ATLANTIC GETTING WIDER?
In the news today are speculations that the TTIP negotiations are in trouble. TTIP is the attempt to negotiate a near-to-free trade agreement between the EU and the USA. It is already well behind schedule and has come in for a lot of criticism from t
Read more…SUNDAY 28 Aug ~ Flying lessons have started
There is now no longer room for all three chicks in the nest so one has crossed over to the next beam.
leaving two in the nest. The parents keep coming and feeding them all.
including the one on the nail. They are all practising stretching their wi
Read more…DOGEN & SAIGYO
Saigyo and Dogen were both independent Buddhist monks. Saigyo was, perhaps, even more independent than Dogen in that he seems never to have been strongly identified with one sect, although he clearly did have a great respect for Kukai and, therefore,
Read more…SATURDAY 27 Aug ~ Journey home? ~ by Jan
Jan sent us this account of her journey from La Ville au Roi (Eleusis) to Hawai'i
Would I sound deluded if I say I feel that I have a new take on time and space? Maybe it comes from having two places with strong connections. As I journeyed back to Ha
Read more…PRESERVING DEMOCRACY
All systems are impermanent, but while they are in favour they seem eternal, at least as far as the future is concerned. Feudalism must have seemed so until absolute monachies made it seem old hat. Democracy seems so nowadays, but one should not be c
Read more…FRIDAY 26 Aug ~Everything Grows in its Own Way
Our little friends are nearly ready for flying lessons.
The roses are blooming
Strawberries are sleeping
Tomatoes are ripening
And pumpkins are on the way
HOW ABOUT SOME NONSENSE VERSE?
The world is perfectly round
though dented here and there.
Each August it picks up shooting stars
appearing from who knows where
My mind was never so perfectly round
triangular nor square
nor have I recently ever been
a whale, giraffe or koala bear.
Evolving
THURSDAY 25th Aug ~ Reminiscence
Another very hot day. I have been working all day on my book manuscript. As much as possible I have been sitting outside in the shade of the walnut tree. Later in the day I move to the shade of the maple, as the sun moves round. Tara the kitten sleep
Read more…CAN A TILE BE A MIRROR
Nangaku & Baso
There is a story about two monks, Nangaku and Baso. Baso has been practising meditation for ten years. Nangaku comes along.
Nangaku: What is the use of meditation?
Baso: To make a Buddha!
Nangaku picks up a tile. He starts to rub the t
Read more…TO ERR IS HUMAN... & WE DO NOT STOP BEING SO
QUESTION: After a good few years of working hard towards personal improvement and continually tripping over myself, I'm struggling to see any real change in my propensity for being foolish. Given the depth of my defectiveness, how realistic is it to
TURKISH INVASION?
I have been wondering for some time if/when turkey would invade part of Syria. The area occupied by Islamic State is Sunni Muslim, as is Turkey. The government on the coast backed by Russia is Shiite. It has been apparent for some time that Turkey ha
Read more…TUESDAY 23 Aug ~ Neighbourly Cooperation
Today I helped a neighbour take a trailer load of rubbish to the tip and, in return, borrowed the trailer for a few hours in order to go into town and pick up some timber I had ordered. It is nice to have such mutual cooperation locally. It also gave
Read more…LAMENTING WAR WITH SAIGYO
Here are another two poems by Saigyo. During his lifetime, the political situation gradually deteriorated until the most awful civil war broke out between the Taira and the Minamoto factions. Saigyo had himself been a warrior in his youth and had bec
Read more…MONDAY 22 Aug ~ Tara Gets a Passport
This morning I took Tara to the vet in Ainay le Chateau. She is fairly used to being in the car now and sits on top of the seat backs so she can see out or stretches herself out along the back of my neck across my shoulders. We had to stay in the vet
Read more…