A hasty blog before scooting off with Sal for our weekly study group at Jvalamalini’s. Well, we’ve had two early morning sits so far… the morning has felt very early (esp today when I overslept, and although staying nearby had to rush down the hill and round the corner!) but it’s been lovely to gather before it’s light – five of us yesterday, six today… to meditate. And yesterday evening we had the added bonus of the dedication of our beautiful new ash-wood shrine at the Monday night class. The shrine has been made to accompany our big painting of Shakyamuni by Aloka and they look really beautiful together. As part of the dedication, we chanted the Shakyamuni mantra, which resonated with our Urban Retreat, as Shakyamuni is our “companion” for this. Sitting in the full shrine room with the Sangha last night I had such a feeling of warmth and contentment and connection.. I had the image of being like a spirit level whose bubble is in the middle at last.
By this morning and my hasty nip down the hill, the feeling had changed (of course!) but it was great to be together again practising, so soon after the night before. On Sunday, Vandika had reminded me of another William Stafford poem which again evokes the theme of following a thread (see below), so that’s what we had as our reading this morning:
The Way It Is
There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
William Stafford
Another enjoyable highligh of the Urban Retreat for me, so far, has been walking to St Georges on Sunday night and chanting Shakyamuni mantras and counting off the beads on my mala as I walked. Half a mala there and half a mala back. Very satisfying and the combination of chanting, walking and mantra seemed to evoke Shakyamuni very strongly for me…..
Anyone reading this who knows (and even those of you who don’t know) my dear friend Amarapuspa, please send her metta. She’s at home in New York looking after both her parents who are very sick – and her father now critically so. I invited her to be with us in spirit on the Urban Retreat.