Opening the slide door, taking a deep breathe, stepping onto the balcony … before me is Halifax harbour, i hear the morning traffic sounds. Unfolding my little mat, I feel a little chilly … I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
Sitting in half-lotus position, I feel the discomfort of stretching legs .. I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
I move to full-lotus, feeling the pain …I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
Forming a resolution in my mind, I sit in blissfull self-love.Trembling with ecstasy, I can contain it no longer, unconditional love radiates from within, explodes with soft force in all directions, to all creatures in all directions … I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
My bf comes out, with his coffee and cigarette, I thank him for not smoking inside, we share a morning hug … I hold him till my whole body feels warm … I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
Work calls, a minor crisis … I send my bf to cover for a sick worker, he is glad to get the day’s work. I finish his coffee as he gets ready, staring at the water traffic. The coffee is sickly sweet, and luke-warm … I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
Work calls again, they need the safe opened … I get changed in a hurry, and drive to my little business. A few crises later, all is well and i decide to sit in a little park on the waterfront. I give my bf a long kiss before leaving, long enough for all the stress to leave me. I sit in the park for an hour or so, long enough to start feeling cold. Putting my hands in my pockets, I realise that my bf’s cigarettes are there … I must have picked them up. I light one, feeling the tobacco smoke rush to my head, a feeling of euphoria and vertigo. I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
A scruffy lady approaches, asking for money. We talk for a while, she tells me about her alcohol problem, her failed marriage, her horrible life. She asks for a cigarette, and is quite pleased to get my bf’s almost full package, her favourite brand.
We share a big hug, and a little kiss. She is half-crying now, and so am I. Sometimes crying can be so liberating. We decide to get some lunch, she eats it with a barely disguised hunger. She tells me of her abusive ex, her health problems, her struggle to live on welfare.
We go to my apartment, the doorman looks at me like I’m insane, but says nothing. We sit on my balcony, sipping wine and relaxing, slowly becoming friends. She tells me all about bottle collecting, I am surprised that it is so competitive. I tell her all about the problems that I face in my business, and how I manage them. We decide to meet every week for lunch, and I give her a bottle of my bf’s gin, some hygenic items she was needing, and another hug.
Morning is long gone, and I feel at peace. Who could ask for more? I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this. —Buddha
This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2013.
At paragraph 1, I started to wait for this post to diminish. With each passing ostentatious comment and re-iteration of the word diminish, I waited in vain for this post to finally finish. Everything like this is self-indulgent bullshit.
Very un-zen BlueBelle. Need to work on your Namaste.
Nice love Buddha should get your boyfriend to quit smoking though. That and his second hand smoke could diminish your lifespan.
I found many a namaste in India, and was grateful for every one. I find that yoga practitioners are getting far too preachy in Halifax– nearing cult-like proportions (I never encountered this in India or other countries where Buddhism has been practiced for centuries).It is a pet peeve. What can I say, I respond more positively to straight-forward love-the-way-we love posts and prefer to find prose elsewhere. I also enjoy yoga as a physical activity, btw…but do not embrace the theological side of it. Last, I am not very zen, ’tis true–but I am we’ll-versed in eastern theology and philosophy and part of being zen is finding genuine human connection; I just wasn’t feeling the human or genuine in this LTWWL. Just my opinion, everybody has one.
I think I side with BlueBelle on this one. If ever a Love made me want to drink methylated spirits to the point of major organ shutdown, it’s this one. Just another recent convert bragging “BooYah – I’m serener than you!”
Buddha – I see socks with sandals and loud outbursts in restaurants over the lack of vegan options in your future.
On the other hand, at least you’re not machinegunning mall shoppers or flying jumbo jets into skyscrapers, so maybe you have the right idea.
Conde Naste ^
artificial as a pink aluminum Christmas tree.
giving an alcoholic wine and a bottle of gin? oy vey. what a charitable act.
and to post it. face palm.
thank the lard everything is NOT like this
Hello everyone,
I’m sorry if my love doesn’t meet your expectations. I am very happy with it, wouldn’t change a word!
It’s funny how I end up being accused of all sorts of things. I am not a yogini, Bluebelle, nor do I believe that you have been to India, given your statements. India has hardly any buddhists, and there is a lot of religous tension. Also, I don’t adhere to the zen school .. I am theravadan .. you won’t find any crap about “finding human connection” in that school. Sheesh!
And Ivan, where did I say, or even intimate, that I am i any way superior to anyone? Because i befriended a pauvre? Nothing in the article is unique to me, anybody can meditate on love, anybody can help another. Perhaps I am in some way proud of it, and it may show in some way that i am not aware .. but I did not, and do not feel superior to others, it’s not even an issue to me. Also you seem to claim that I am a recent convert .. not true. I love the way that you toss off these assumptions as fact.
Maybe you should look at yourself as critically as you do others.
Hey GDM, I gave her my time, my attention, my advice, my sympathy, paid for lunch, etc. instead of just flipping a loonie at her … and you focus on the booze. What do you do? Nothing or a few coins is my guess. Besides, she will still drink until she decides to get help, whether or not I enable her.
It is interesting how people jump to all sorts of unsubstantiated conclusions rather than accept that a simple act of humanity is possible without ulterior motive.
If I had told you how I chased the parking meter girl down the street last week and said some unkind things to her, you would be ok with that. I’m sure all sorts of people would have chimed in with their own tales. I am not perfect, I am merely trying to live in a healthy way, and I try to share the happiness I feel with you. And, yes, I did find that lady another day and apologised, gave her a coffee … not to show off, not so I could brag later, but because I felt badly about the whole thing. And you know what? She smiles and waves when she sees me, we are ok with each other now.
I am human, I feel the hurt when criticized. What do I do? I do what has always worked for me, what i have always shared with others, as it was shared with me .. I wait for the sensation to diminish, then pass away. Everything is just like this.
“Maybe you should look at yourself as critically as you do others.”
Way ahead of you, Bru.
http://d22zlbw5ff7yk5.cloudfront.net/image…
Buddha, I may kick homeless people in the butt in my spare time, but I wasn’t the one who posted a paean to my own soulfulness. you post, you will get comments. put on your big girl yoga pants.
pauvre? do we have any pauvre in the house today? hold up your hands.
“If I had told you how I chased the parking meter girl down the street last week and said some unkind things to her, you would be ok with that.”
That was you?
Jeesh – what a self-entitled #otterbox
I like that you’re happy. I don’t like that you’re very full of yourself. You saved the world 15 times in this one post alone. And charity means nothing if the charitable make sure everyone knows it.
But i like that you’re happy. Or maybe more accurately, I hope that you’re happy. But i have to be honest, most happy people don’t respond so defensively to a few criticisms. My guess is that when things are perfect, you’re happy. You need now to learn how to deal with expectations that aren’t being met. You’re not a bad person but you have a disturbingly high opinion of yourself. And that will always, ALWAYS lead to massive disappointment, heartache and loss. And nobody wants to see that happen.
– Jesus Christ (why the hell not?)
I live the life exactly opposite of Buddha’s.
I am bizarro Buddha, if you will.
Life sucks wayyyyyyyy too much for one person to be this happy.
Hi again scissors,
Only the enlightened are without blemish, and I am not enlightened. Perhaps I am arrogant, as you say. As for happiness, I have found that various meditations allow me to be happy, help me with the stresses i feel. Billions have found meditation helpful, so I am not alone in this thinking. I merely chose to share one of these meditations. You might consider your own arrogance, in believing that you can inventory my personality flaws based on a few written words.
” And charity means nothing if the charitable make sure everyone knows it. “
Really? Do you think that lady who was so hungry agrees with that? She didn’t. She was very grateful, she hadn’t eaten that day. I wonder if you would refuse a meal, if you had to wear her shoes? Face it, your statement was a little arrogant, and a whole lot foolish. Not to say that you are less than others, we all suffer the same problems in various degrees.
Safe to say, everybody has flaws … that is really the correct point to make, not fingerpointing at me, you, or anyone. I believe I know a way out of this, others may not agree .. I will continue to spread the word, as I am able, because I believe it is beneficial.
Hello Hyde,
The Buddha was born a prince of a small kingdom in Nepal. He ran away, traded away his fine clothes for rags, and took up the ascetic life. After years of suffering, he became enlightened.
So yes, you are not much like the Buddha .. and neither is anyone else.
Myself, I was born into a wealthy family, have never been truly hungry, or in need of anything important. Perhaps this is why some folks here perceive me as arrogant, I really don’t get it, to tell you the truth. I really don’t look down on people.
“Life sucks wayyyyyyyy too much for one person to be this happy.”
The Buddha said that life is mostly “dukka”, which is usually translated as “suffering” … though a more accurate translation might say, ” the dissatisfaction that comes from suffering”. He also said that there is a path out of this condition, which he spent most of his life teaching. Although Buddhism is often referred to as a religion, it might be more accurate to say it is a philosophy of life, since the Buddha didn’t ever mention a god.
So I would say that it is possible to be happy, irregardless of the suckiness of life!
Love your little quips, btw, always take the time to read them!
Not going to get into it in great detil with someone who lectured Ivan on “tossing off assumptions as fact” but does o herself. I will clarify that the “zen” quip was ,in fact, a response to Ivan about me not being very zen. I will also say I have lived and traveled in 7 of the countries where Buddhism is most practiced and yes, I have spent time in India ( unless my memory fails me and my passport and photos lie). Siddartha was born in India as you know, Buddhism was founded upon his moment of enlightenment under the bodhisattva tree. even if approx. 7 million practitioners of Buddha registers as “barely any” by your standards, to some, 7 million is a significant number. Finally, I received many “Namastes”, yes–one doesn’t spend time in India and not exchange the most common greeting in the nation. I know, unbelievable–one would think !Hola or Konnichiwa would have been the greeting I would have met with. Namaste is not simply a yoga catch-phrase–I assume you know this. I do not know why, however, you purport to know where I have been or what I know/have read/have studied simply because I found your “journal entry” obnoxious.
Oops…zen comment response was to Reg.
Hey Bluebelle,
The Buddha wasn’t born in India, as you seem to say, he was born in Nepal. Buddhism wasn’t founded when the Buddha found enlightenment under the bodhi tree, it was founded after his death, many decades later. There are about 8 million buddhists in India, the population is over a billion .. that’s 0.8 percent of the population, not a lot. The Buddha had about 20 million followers in his time … a lot more than now, 2500 years later. Your comments regarding “namaste” are so ridiculous that I don’t even want to bother.
The reason I said that I don’t believe you’ve been to India is that you don’t seem to know much about it. Perhaps you were there and just stayed inside the bhang shops?
Interesting. You sure think it important to prove yourself more knowledgable about a subject. Bully for you — you won the pissing contest. Enlightenment attained in a Kindom in what is “Present Day Nepal” VS. his teaching in India; whichever way you slice it, you come off as an obnoxious, arrogant know-it-all. You are apparently an authority on India . Perhaps we can expect some lecture on Sikhism, Jainism, Sanskrit, Bollywood, how to wear a saree, flag a tuk tuk and prepare a Biryani because I suspect if someone knows a little bit about any of these subjects you will be sure to set them straight about what they do not know. I maintain that your original post was nauseating — others seem to agree. Have fun on your high horse “Buddha” Maybe you ought to spend some more time meditating and perhaps invest in a diary.
Oh this is getting good. More fun than the Sunni/Shia schism or the conflict between Lilliput and Brefescu over which end of a boiled egg to open.
*Gets bowl of popcorn and calls bookie*
“50 Quatloos on Bluebelle”
It is time to extricate myself from this conflict, Ivan. I think I have made my point about The Pretentious “Buddha”. If she is half as wise as she puts on, she will wait for her reaction to my original comment to diminish, then pass away 🙂 Love your posts Ivan…and Chokran for your wager
Spassibo Bluebelle >: ) Next time you need a good corner man, give me shout.
“http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtO07FsNrJk/UXkz…
hey! I didn’t even get a chance to toss in my two I chings worth!
Throw down, Molly.. I am out but you don’t have to be 🙂
TLDR
She would have been equally grateful if she had found them. More grateful because charity makes people feel humiliated. Finding something you need right when you need it makes you feel lucky.
When i give someone “charity” i always try to make it look like they’re doing me a favour. Or I do it anonymously. I’m not trying to be sanctimonious. But having been the recipient of charity very long ago, i KNOW how low you have to feel to accept it. It’s not a nice feeling. But you accept it because you have to. Because you cannot provide for yourself. That’s the worst feeling of all. Finding a tenner on the bus on the other hand? Makes me feel like a damn superhero.
If you two are practicing Buddhists, you’re arguing about meaningless specifics. Does it matter where Buddha was born or when he found enlightenment? Not really, just the fact that he was and he did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y34RlJ0L0xE
lets not bicker about who killed who!
I was admonishing her for nit-picking on the details. I am a Pastafarian, Reg
Now that’s a religion where I don’t mind consuming the blood and body of the Saviour.
All hail the Flying Spaghetti Monster and his plethora of minor saints and prophets – Sweet Fennel Salsice, Pomodoro, Basil, etc.
Lllllaaaaarrrrrrggghhhhhhhhhhh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3IgFsEEOik
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/imag…
^^ all those holes in his helmet are going to let the death rays through.
and I am at the end of my rope, so I am a Lastafarian
I was just thinking, isn’t there a bylaw covering unregistered, impulsive and unsolicited
spewing of unconditional love being softly lofted into the air like so much sinus clogging faux down?
achoo! achoo! we all faux down!
There was a story earlier this week where a local Christer nutjob felt his human rights were being violated because he and his son weren’t allowed to pass out religious pamphlets at his kid’s school. He even played the old *gasp – Harry Potter and Twilight in the library=Satan in the Classroom* card. I’m thinking Chick Tracts – beloved by cynical heathens everywhere, loathed by every school custodian who ever had to fish their soggy detritus from the urinals.
Ivan–funny, just moments ago I was surfing The Interweb to learn more about individual . I am learning, where he is concerned, to tame my tongue and temper and to tolerate in a way I never thought possible for me.
BlueBelle – I firmly believe in freedom of, and from religion. A very wise lady that it’s my privilege to call a friend has a button that reads “Dear God, Please protect me from your followers” >; )
I, too,believe in freedom of religion but have a problem with trying to force one’s belief system upon others or in restricting others’ freedoms, religious and otherwise, in the name of religion. Your friend seems a wise lady, indeed 🙂
And her cookies Rawk!
it’s freedom from religion
Your savouries were tres delicieux, Painey. Merci
*Note my use of the past tense. heh heh heh*
^^ but ivan, did you share with any ‘pauvre’ ????
Sod les ‘pauvre’; I didn’t even share with SOBove. Existentialism reigns in our arrondissement.
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/7d/…
trying out a recipe tonight, from 1955
for ivan ^^
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pag…
but to answer her question ‘why do we even need a morality’ I answer 90. we always come back to 90. that’s why. because most people are simply stupid.
I’ll just leave this here: http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/ca…