how does your garden grow....?

relaxing back at whippoorwill after DC
a day & two before the westward-ho trip
across canada with my cousin, marilyn..

the garden has sprouted up..
broccoli in the salads already..
fresh basil and herbs join in..
the corn is knee high, at least..
fresh blueberries in our pancakes!

cultivating my own patch... of laundry,
i must have been a dhobi-wala*
in my last many incarnations..
reveling in hanging clothes on the line..
the gentle whip of a muggy breeze
on dhotis and tee shirts..
and yes, yes.. clothespins..

it was too hot and humid to move
so we draped ourselves like dripping syrup
over anything horizontal in the screened-in porch..
~ dubbed porchville by donna ~
we spoke of random kindnesses that open the heart..
listened to one another take turns snoring the afternoon tunes,
every dog present to witness our musings
while the garden kept pushing up dirt to feed the farm....


i used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day,
and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny
with a love that nobody could share or conceive of
who had never taken part in the process of creation.
it was one of the most bewitching sights in the world
to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil,
or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently
to trace a line of delicate green...
~nathaniel hawthorne
mosses from an old manse

* laundry person in india

six perfections

ah! the six perfections..
generosity ...the four types of giving..
~ giving the dharma
~ offering protection
~ supplying material goods
~ providing fearlessness

ethics/morality
the ten virtuous actions...
3 of the body..
no killing
no stealing
no sexual mis-conduct
4 of the speech
no lying
no gossip
no divisive speech
no harsh speech
3 of the mind
non-covetous
non- malicious
not holding wrong views

patience
the bodhicaryavatara
read chapter VI
!

heroic effort..enthusiastic perseverance
vigilance, diligence, tirelessness, dedication
never give up

concentration/meditation
taking your seat..taking time ...
~ settling into calm abiding..shamatha
~ inquiring, analyzing...vipashyana

wisdom
realizing emptiness..shunyata
understanding of the nature of reality

little by little..
how do i integrate common sense
in the form of these perfections
into my every waking, sleeping, dreaming..
in my walking, sitting, standing, lying down..
body, speech, mind..?
little by little....

bodhicitta

the awakened heart..the awakened mind...
awakening for the great benefit of others....
a mind and heart that is expanding..
in goodness..in lovingkindness..
bright, luminous, awake

there are three paths to bodhicitta ~

the way of the king,
who primarily seeks his own benefit
yet recognizes that his benefit
depends on that of his kingdom and his subjects..

the path of the boatman,
who ferries his passengers across the river
and simultaneously ferries himself as well...

that of the shepherd,
who makes sure that all his sheep arrive safely ahead of him
and places their welfare above his own....
~ words of my perfect teacher
patrul rinpoche


the four immeasurables
serve as a template to awaken bodhicitta ..

karuna..compassion..
maitri..lovingkindness..
mudita..unfettered joy..
upeksa..equanimity..

these treasures when contemplated..
when absorbed in our mindstream..
become the very seed,
sprout, blossom and fruit
of precious bodhicitta..

we not only aspire to be of benefit to others..
we actually step out of our self-cherishing habits
awakening our delight in humanoids..
cultivating a genuine affection for all,
realizing their happiness is none other than our own..

the six paramitas..the six perfections..
stepping stones to bodhicitta..
generosity
ethics
patience
enthusiastic perseverance
concentration/meditation
wisdom

the footpath for a bodhisattva..
one who embodies light, clarity/charity, wisdom

...to be continued....infinitely!

compassion

moved by compassion,
bodhisattvas take the vow
to liberate all sentient beings.
by overcoming their self-centered outlook,
they engage continuously and eagerly
in the difficult practices
of accumulating merit and wisdom..

if a bodhisattva holds to one dharma
and learns it perfectly, he has
all the buddha's qualities
in the palm of his hand.
what is that one dharma?
it is great compassion..mahakaruna.
~kamalashila
the stages of meditation

bagpipes and hendrix

leaving the verizon center..in wa dc..
after yesterday's prayers and teachings..
the sound of well-played bagpipes
graced the heavy aire..
the young man who offered
the windy soundscapes
is a fellow student of peace..

just around the corner was an african-american
playing o so cool guitar licks the likes
only jimi could whip up..

inside the monks
are clicking and tapping their tools,
creating the kalachakra sand mandala
while their spiritual brothers
are chanting, chanting, chanting-
the preparatory prayers for the initiation..

there are thousands of people from 48 countries
and 5 continents gathered to partake in the
kalachakra for world peace..
hh the 17th karmapa has arrived..
the empty seats are filling around us daily..
how vast we are..
inside and out ~

'scuse me while i kiss the sky!

www.kalachakra2011.com

we can do better

be content yet never satisfied..
~ j.krishnamurti

in an evening talk, alex berzin * posed the question:
why practice the kalachakra?
to what end?
the answer he gave -
we can do better...

generating self-confidence to cultivate peace..
taking time to be tender with the elders,
walking in nature with the youngsters,
being patient with our delightful, dysfunctional family members,
recycling even more..cycling even more..
minimizing our CARBON FOOTPRINT,
looking in the eyes of the homeless,
(do not be a stranger to suffering)
offering the second croissant another,
relaxing into deep listening,
drinking water, saving water....
smile, smile, smile.....
the list continues to infinity..

it doesn't get any better than this ~
the best is yet to come.....

*www.berzinarchives.com

non-violence

the nation's capital is hot and humid..
92 degrees and climbing..

to help the dalai lama
celebrate his 76th birthday,
the retired archbishop of cape towne..
~ desmond tutu
was on video..encouraging his holiness
to come sit on his front porch in south africa,
drink rooibos tea and reflect on the spirit of things...

martin luther king's son..
~ martin luther king III
shared remembrances from his mother
about the nobel prize of peace winner's
common ground with her husband..

mohandas gandhi's grandson..
~ arun gandhi
spoke about the genealogy of violence..
the family tree of violence..
the two children..
passive and physical..
we must pay as close attention
to passive violence as we do to war, rape, beatings..
... judgements, insults, gossip, bullying...
be the change we wish to see
offering that pledge to the dalai lama..

in the early evening, charlotte ann..
(yet another precious charlotte!)
and i wandered in the direction
of the washington monument..
the vietnam war memorial..
where ron hamilton,
the young man who walked with charlotte
at her graduation, is remembered..
the korean war memorial..

war will exist until that distant day when
the conscientious objector enjoys
the same reputation and prestige
that the warrior does today.
~ john f. kennedy

climbing the mighty steps
to the mighty lincoln memorial..
we were awed, inspired and wet..
inside and out ..rinsed clean..

the cab drivers are fantastic..
from pakistan, north carolina, ethiopia..
familiar faces of humankind
oooh! i like that word..
humankind..lovingkind