discipline

the best kind of discipline is a mind at peace.
~ gonpawa

** riding amtrak to penn station, ny..
onward to union station, wa dc
~ the dalai lama’s birthday
& the kalachakra for world peace...

the muddy mohawk river on my right..
a young girl watching her movie on my left..

babar, the elephant in my lap..
sun is shining..clear skies..

easy to be peaceful when all the ducks line up..
what happens when the going gets rough..?
often, the mind gets ruffled and tumbly...

the discipline of a mind at peace..
a peaceful mind..a discipline?
whose mind is it?
do we have a choice?
is it really a discipline?

i’ll say, the high holies tell us...
always maintain a cheerful mind..

back to emerson..
the integrity of our own mind..
who benefits first and foremost,
when we choose peace?
easy answer..
not so easy when the world slaps
us upside the head..

who is the world?
none other than our very own selves...
our actions..past actions and intentions..
our present intent and future musings ..

you are the world and the world is you..
~ j. krishnamurti

all appearances are one’s own mind..
the mind itself is primordially free from extremes..
~ gyalse togme

the appearance of... waaaah!...
things are not going my way..
we grasp the appearance as the real..
we hold opinions on either side of the pendulum
what a limited waaaay to live...

i hang in a small square box now and then..
so tight, rigid and cramped..
when i finally wake to the reality of things..
the way it is.. the way things are..
what a stretch! breaking free..

every nano-second we get to choose..
a mind at peace..
this is the spacious gracious mind of clarity..
a mind at war..
this is the small..i-me-mine no way-jose mind

the discipline of yes..
the discipline of a mind at peace....
the okie-dokie mind..

one who is disciplined will conquer anger / impatience
she / he will be happy in this life...
~ shantideva

i like hanging ten with the dalai lama..
he likes hanging with a mind at peace..
i pray wildly that a wee bit rubs off..
okie-dokie mind, here i come!



** in the year 2002...
i was on another train...in austria..
after spending some time with the dalai lama
at another kalachakra for world peace..
entering the cabin to find my window seat,
i see a gent sitting where i am intended to be..
politely i show him my ticket and explain that
he is in my place...he turns to me..
roars and growls..vehemently demanding
i find another seat.. i quietly say i am a tourist,
a guest in his country..
it would be so fine to have the window chair -
to have a look-see at the beautiful countryside...
he barked again.. go find another seat..

the lady on the other side
of the empty seat betwixt them
told me to sit down and hush up...
my head and heart were o so hot;
making fists with my eyelids
to hold back the fire water,
i plunked down
between the two wilde and crazies..

slowly opening my book,
bearing witness
bernie glassman
i began reading ~
you always have the opportunity
to choose peace.....

holy moly!
inhaling, exhaling..
the gent by the window was sitting forward..
deliberately blocking any view, it seemed..
exhaling, inhaling..
the woman darkly reading her gazette..
the people across from me looking away..
inhaling, exhaling..biting my lip..

the conductor came by to collect the tickets..
we offered our chits..
he looked at me, the man by the window..
the tickets..slowly back and forth..
up and down..
exhaling, inhaling...
out he went...

the window snatcher relaxed a bit..
....scenery flying by..
waterfalls, trees, rainbows...

okie-dokie, artichokie!