stacking stone..

today was our last day traveling through the province of ontario..
marilyn and i decided to build a small inukshuk (inuksuk) ~
honoring first nations..bidding adieu to mother lake superior....

inukshuk is a stone figure..
the inuit make inuksuit (plural)
in different forms for different purposes..
to show directions to travellers,
to warn of impending danger,
to mark a place of respect,
to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou,
to guide travellers ..home..

stone figures were made
all over the world in ancient times;
the arctic is one of the few places
where they still stand...
and all along the trans-canada hiway in ontario....

we had stopped for a picnic lunch..yes!
we found a table..many tables..
on the bank of eagle lake..
just as we were finishing our carrots, hummus and pumpernickel,
we were greeted and blessed by a family from afghanistan..
now living in canada..toronoto.. vancouver..

after piling our inuksuk on the stone outcroppings,
we offered our intent and prayer..
that all peoples will find their way home..
that all peoples will snestle in the home of their very own hearts..
that all peoples will recollect one another..
and know them as themselves..

an inukshuk can be small or large,
a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other,
round boulders or flat stones...
our inuksuk was misshappen, wobbly and handsome..
looking like a crooked olde coot..
ordinary and extraordinary..
we saluted him as we drove away...

inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit...


let's take a better look
beyond a story book
and learn our souls are all we own
before we turn to stone

let's go to sleep with clearer heads
and hearts too big to fit our beds
and maybe we won't feel so alone
before we turn to stone

i know that i am nothing new
there's so much more than me and you
but brother how we must atone
before we turn to stone
~ ingrid michaelson

o canada....

how refreshing!
not every single everything is made in china..
what a surprise!
in fact, every much of everything is made in canada...
because of that ..
it is somehow more relaxing to shoppe..to be....even...
there seems to be tension with things made in china..
not only because of tibet..
it runs deeper than that..
perhaps we have stripped ourselves
of the work ethic...the integrity...
that came over with the mayflower..
i didn't realize the tension was present..
until it wasn’t..
very interesting, indeed!

o canada....

ontario is menonite country..
black bonnets on their way to church..
horse and buggy sharing the road ~
no shopping, selling, or working on sunday..

o canada...

just how big is lake superior?
o my o..
it is the world's largest lake by surface..
the world's third largest lake by volume..
it is one big lake!
and it is fantabulous..
the surrounding hills and rock formations are stunners..

o canada...

where are your rest stops?
we were aching for a picnic table
to munch our lunch on..
very few and far between...
so we bought ourselves a campsite for ...
oooo..7 & 3/4 minutes..
the entire population of canadian mosquitoes
were dining in that very spot..
we were eaten for our own lunch -
we still have dots to show for it...

the first nations, hockey rinks,
pickering, moose, rivers, lakes,
inukshuks...
eh?

love one another....

~ love all god’s creation, the whole and every grain of it . . . .
if you love everything,
you will perceive the divine mystery in things.
once you perceive it,
you will begin to comprehend it better every day....
...you will come at last to love
the whole world with an all-embracing love...
~ dostoevsky..
the brothers karamazov

c'est bon la vie!

quebec city..quebec..
where to begin?
charm.. allure ..razzle-dazzle

imagine this ~
cirque du soleil !!!!
offered chapter three of les chemins invisibles..
le royaume de tôle... olivier dufour..director..
it is a free urban cabaret which takes place under a freeway!
for the last three years, cirque du soleil has been investing
in the saint-roch neighbourhood,
calling on various directors
to draw inspiration from the Îlot fleurie space
to create a most unique, innovative, inspiring outdoor extravaganza..
it is about three tribes from separate cultures
who meet to share one another's experiences...
cirque du soleil has two more years..two more summer shows..

maybe 1000 people or more..
locals and tourists
wheelchairs and walkers..
children and grannies...
the crowd was ever so respectful ..
awed by the performers, the elaborate sets..each other..

high energy, blaring music, megatons of talent..
we were mesmerized..transported to heaven only knows where..
for about an hour of enchantment...

all this.. after a walkabout in olde quebec..
founded in 1608..one of the oldest cities in north america..
charm..razzle-dazzle...
the french (canadians) are very kind-hearted and generous..
never let anyone tell you differently...

c'est bon la vie!
c'est ca!

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!