Buddha @ MindSay

I've been very busy as of late because of a couple of things in my life that auspiciously occured a few weeks ago. I have been studying Buddhism for some time now and I had come to a junction in my path where I needed to find some guidance, choose direction, go deeper into myself, my studies and my mind than I ever have before. As I meditated I asked to be blessed with a teacher if that was the right way for my path to go.

 

At the same time my spiritual questions swirled, I also was looking at my work and thinking about life, fragility and waste. There had been a motorcycle accident that left a beautiful young soldier dead, the next day a horrific car / motorcycle accident that left 5 dead, and as an ER we had worked to try to save the lives of several without success. It was so very drastic, so very sad, and one of the few times I have seen the ER come to a standstill as almost everyone had to be involved in the trauma. It also was one of the few times that the sadness, reality, and emptiness hit once the CPR stopped and the machines were turned off. Staff stopped and called home to say they loved their families, some cried then, some later. Usually trauma's don't stop the place cold, they come, they go, but this was big and it was sad.

 

I was struggling after the event with the people that then came in to see me in Psych with the " I'm going to kill myself because my boy/girl left me". I don't mean those suffering from a real depression, psychosis, or other serious mental health problem - for those the trauma was as equal as the accident. But for just a moment my compassion waned for those using life and death as manipulation - and I thought - " you want to see dead - come with me". Of course I quickly caught the thought and my compassion returned but I was distressed that it was there.

 

The other thing that concerned me was the brutality of what is done to save a life that is so very gone. I know how often we do save lives with what we do, but sometimes it is so harsh to see what happens as the efforts go on and on. As part of my faith when one dies they should be given dignity and peace, time to transition to the next life. What I see is so far from dignified, and there is little peace as the curtain is closed and the work goes on around them. In all of this I wondered how I might bring just a small amount of quiet to the person, and a bit of dignity. I try to sneak in and cover the person, fix hair, turn off a light, some little thing.

 

Suddenly I had a phone call that there was a Lama, Rinpoche and Monk from Tibet in town for several weeks. They were looking for people to help cook, clean the house, serve meals, meal clean up, etc. for them as well as teach a little English when possible. They were here to teach as well as to work with a Translation Committee to translate into English precious texts that had been smuggled out of Tibet with the Dalai Lama and others in 1959. I offered up my time and limited cooking talents to the task and it has proved to be interesting, fascinating, precious, spiritual, humbling, and honourable. If you had told me 7 years ago that I'd be cleaning the toilet of some man from Tibet and honoured to do so I'd have laughed at you!!

 

I am honoured, and so very humbled. To be in the presence of people that own only 2 sets of robes, toothbrush and comb. Who smile and are so very happy in life, and whose energy, and soul radiates from their faces so strongly I am blessed to simply be in the same house as they are. Their simplicity and graciousness is nothing I have ever seen in my own culture and I am shocked at how rude we in North America are compared to these beautiful people.

 

I was granted an audience with both the Rinpoche and Lama, and I talk often to the Monk, also Rinpoche's Nephew. I asked Rinpoche to be my teacher and have discussed visiting the Lama to help him set up a medical clinic. I got to ask my questions, and was given simple and beautiful answers om how to deal with my questions. I was given blessings on my work to build my 50 acres healing garden, and offered a visit to bless it once complete. (In Tibet Rinpoche is like a Phd, but also with a spiritual component like a Pope might be to a Catholic. While it is a Title, it is also used as a name).

 

And then ... my puppy found me and her name was apparent - Teshe Dechen - Lucky Joy in Tibetan.

 

I go tomorrow and spend the day again with Rinpoche and Sange his nephew. One of daughters comes (19) and she helps teach English to Sanje who is only 23 and likes to talk to her. Tomorrow she is going to show him her iPod, music, and a few other modern things he might find interesting. I'm cooking meatloaf, and making some homemade fries with Gingerbread & Caramel sauce - LOL - some real old home cooking. I look forward to it and to a day of positive energy and calm abiding.

 

I wonder if gets a lot better!!

 

Namaste'

It has been such a sad and eventful couple of weeks I am feeling the need to spend some time in silent meditation and comtemplation to allow myself some private time to grieve. Coming from the events my American friends are grieving is the fact that someone I knew was killed in the VT shootings. She was the French professor at VT, and was from a little town in Nova Scotia, the only Canadian there. She was a wonderful woman and leaves a loving husband and young daughter. Aside from the American news, there was 8 Canadian Soldiers killed in Afghanistan during the past 3 weeks. Several of them were also from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It touches me deeply because my godson is in Afghanistan along with a best friend of my husbands. It is so dreadful to hear on the news that there are deaths, usually due to IED's, and then to wait until the phone rings or someone shows up at the door. We are such small provinces and because we have some military bases many of us come to know the young men and women who volunteer for the missions in the Middle East.

 

It's always of interest to me how life connects so many of us,  and how we can share an event in the world and not know it. I did not see any report on CNN or other news that mentioned a Canadian from Nova Scotia amoung the dead. It might have been a nice thing for my friends to know so they could have thought of NS, or maybe said a prayer, knowing that we share a time of compassion and connection.

 

So I find myself a little tired with all that has happened and because I've been working 12 hour shifts the last 6 out of 7 days, and in this Emergency room that's a lot of time. It has certainly been one adventurous week though. We've had a sudden epedemic of Mumps in college aged students. Apparently back 20 years ago the powers that be decided only one mumps enoculation was needed - not so much. It was not enough, so that age group is not well enough immunized and thus there is an oubreak on college campuses. With Universities all closing this week, 20-something's are bringing the mumps exposure with them to other provinces. Luckily in the 90's they reinstated the 2 vaccinations so that kids 15 and under are immune again. However, we've seen several young men with the mumps causing glandular problems/swelling of the testes, which may cause sterility. I am sure some heads are gonna fly over that decision 20 years ago!!! I have 2 daughter's vulnerable to the virus beause of their ages, so I am hoping they are OK. We also had a major suicide attempt to deal with when a 27 year old jumped off a bridge into the Halifax harbour. It's not a small bridge he jumped from, about a 1/4 mile across and high. Looks like he will survive with some boken bones thanks to a quick response team, an excellent Trauma Team, and someone "looking out" for him.

 

I'll be off for 3 days, work 3 days over the weekend, and then next Tuesday afternoon I am going to head off to Prince Edward Island for another Silent retreat for 3 days. I am going to invite a couple of my "Buddha-Buddies" to join me for the end of the week so we can do some things together and enjoy the amazing blossoming of spring in PEI. It is so great to see the birds back, see all the bunnies hopping around my yard, see young fox and other baby animals. I am hoping this year I'll spot some fawns but I'll have to hike back a little ways on my 50 acres.

 

I'll also be starting some land clearing for my "Secret Serenity Gardens" and get bulbs planted and scope out where I'll plant some other flowers, and shrubs. It's all very exciting to be using this land in a spiritual way for people to enjoy and share with me. I look so forward to a time in the near future when I have my log home and several other log cabins built for friends and visitors to spend a little time just taking part in the peace and serenity, and using it all to heal themselves.

 

Namaste'

Heather

The young buddha (ruggedly handsome law student) lay back on the grass of the quiet garden (bustling campus) next to a statue of one of his previous incarnations meticulously carved from white jade (some stairs).
The buddha contemplated:

"Below me is earth supporting me."  And indeed there was ground underneath him and it was warm and sturdy.
"Around me is air flowing over me."  And indeed at that moment a playful zephyr rolled across the buddha's limbs.
"Above me is the bright sun warming me."  And indeed, the sun was particularly bright that day, bringing him such light that the buddha deigned to shield his eyes.
"Is this enlightenment?"

No, replied the ground underneath him, the air around him and the sun above him,
This is a nap.

And thus was the buddha enlightened.