3 posts tagged “diary”

Last week, I spent most of the time away from the Buddhist House, at Leicester’s Intercultural Communication and Leadership School, which is pretty much what it claims to be. This seminar was small in terms of participants, only six, but vast in terms of information and experience.

Spending four nights away, in the company of a group from many different backgrounds, and in the setting of a rather nice conference hall, raised a few questions for me. A few months ago I would have felt completely comfortable in a setting like this, and know exactly how to behave. Not perhaps in the most wholesome way, but in a habit driven and mostly comfortable way.

Now I am a visible a member of a faith community, and have made a commitment to training in something greater than myself. So I try to behave in a way that’s more wholesome and less habitual, perhaps creating new habits…

Coming home, questions remained; about my place in the world, in society and so on. But little time for reflection in some ways, we were straight into the Honen memorial retreat. It was wonderful to practice and feel the support of the community.

I don’t know if all my questions have been, or will be answered - but the support of those here, and elsewhere - assures me that I’m in the right place.

Standing underneath a boiling shower
Through clouds of steam I glimpse my naked self.
Unkind light shows every flaw and wrinkle,
I turn my face away and wash and scrub
And pray for rebirth; purify my soul.

The chrysalis I’ve shed lies heaped outside
Folds of red cloth, tailored like a badge,
That shows the world who to think I am;
That hide the flaws and wrinkles and the sins.

Folded on the chair, wings wait for me.
Emerging from the wet I fold myself
In folds of red exactly like the old.

I straighten up my mala and step out
Newly cleaned, but no cleaner than before.

Just as I am.

It’s the last day of 2006. A full year in many ways, a glance across the newsworthy vents of ‘06 that are published this time of year shows just how full. But of course, from another point of view it doesn’t seem that way. Things have changed a great deal for me this year, but much of the year slipped by in the same old fashion, day after day, without me noticing.

Funny thing time. We listened to a Dharma talk on Dogen’s Uji just before Christmas - a lot of existence-time is this, and existence time is that, and half existence time is the other. I’m quite sure I don’t understand most of it. - Dharmavidya’s commentary is on-line, here. It’s based on the Nishijima and Cross translation of the Shobogenzo.

Fascinating stuff. I’ve just started Darryl Reanny’s The Death of Forever which talks a great deal about time, in terms of relativity and in terms of how we experience time, neurologically. It seems that Reanny’s suggesting that out perception of time as linear is created by the way we record events, and can recall events.

But I’m still trying to bend my mind around his ideas, so it may be that he’s actually saying something else.

Yesterday a few of us went to visit an old friend at the Buddha Vihara in Wolverhampton, an Ambedkarite Vihara. Fascinating to see a temple that serves such a large lay community, and wonderful to see that it’s currently home to Bhikkhu’s from three different Theravadan countries.

We were giving a tour of the facilities, including a Museum to remember Dr. Ambedkar.

Later in the evening we debated the size of the Universe, and different types of infinity and absolute truth - however, we failed to resolve any of these pressing issues - descending instead into an improvised game of Balderdash. Great Fun.

Namo Amida Bu

Wow. What a month.

It’s been five weeks since I moved into The Buddhist House as a Trainee, and in some ways it feels like much, much longer.

The weekend I arrived there was an introductory retreat, a nice way to ease in to life here. The theme of that retreat was Exile and Return, we talked about the exile of the Pure Land teachers Shinran and Honen, and how that affected their journeys affected the teachings they later gave. The ideas of having to leave home, and go somewhere different to develop were ones that resonated strongly; I imagined that I had exiled myself, by choice, from one world, and moved into another.

But both Honen and Shinran returned home to teach the Dharma, and like the Zen monk who rides the Ox back to the market place - we can’t escape the actual. And so, dressed in red, not long after my self-imposed exile, I too returned to the market place.

Or to the centre of Leicester, which with it’s bright lights and plenty of material temptation provides ideal opportunities to remind me how attached and bonbu I truly am, just another bundle of karma.

I was there to take part in the Maitri Project a pastoral care project we’re beginning in the city.

I was fortunate that the week after I arrived I was able to get some insight into pastoral care, and chaplaincy - during one of the training courses here. Wonderful to listen to all the work that people are already doing in these areas, how varied it can be, and what the potential for the future might be:

A few days ago I was at The Multi-Faith Centre, for a seminar on Engaged Buddhism and was able to listen to Keith Munnings from Samatha Trust talking about the future of Buddhist Chaplaincy within the NHS, and if a Buddhist model of Chaplincy might differ from the traditional Anglican model. Facinating stuff.

There’s a wealth of experience here, and through the network of friends here that I can learn from, and begin to feed into the different projects I’m involved with.

The Bodhi Retreat

Last week, the biggest event of the year here at THB, The Bodhi Retreat, a time of intense practice, seminars and ceremonys. For me there were two highlights: my own ceremony and acceptance into postulancy, a formal commitment to train with a view to ordination; and the following day the ordination of Ven. Sr. Susthama And Rev. Mudita. The ceremony was moving in itself, but listening to the precepts that I might one day take added an especially personal edge to the service.
I’ve uploaded some photo’s of the ordinations to flickr.

And finally, something different to finish with; a little video from the night before my ceremony, as filmed by Sally - who was accepted into as an aspiriant during the same ceremony.
Namo Amida Bu