I Love Calendars

I love calendars. I seem to have one in every room. I guess I need lots of help knowing what day of the week it is! Most come from organizations I belong to -- a thank you for a donation and, of course, wanting another. Then there are the few that I am fascinated by in some way -- beautiful photos, wonderful words.



This is the one that has gotten my attention and seems to want to teach me something. It is an engagement calendar designed to bring the wisdom and vitality of the Buddha's teachings into everyday life. The theme of this year's calendar is kindness and compassion, which are fundamental expressions of a Buddhist way of life. Each month begins with a teaching, a poem, or a Zen story and suggests practices to manifest the teaching.

The teaching for the month of January was a celebration of the bodhisattva Never Despise, who appears in chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra. This remarkable being does not criticize anyone. He/she realizes that everyone will be a Buddha one day. Well, easier said than done! I was warned by the calendar that I shouldn't be discouraged doing this practice. That it is difficult and if I could do it for a short time I might feel an incredible buoyancy and if I found myself judging, not to add a criticism on top of a criticism! Wow!

I found myself getting irritated with a checkout clerk at the grocery ... not paying attention to what she was doing with my stuff and talking to a customer in another line. I didn't say anything out loud, and finally, when I was outside the building, I started laughing and found myself saying over and over -- don't be critical!!!!!! And, I laughed out loud some more. I don't know if laughing and buoyancy are the same thing -- but it sure took the sting out of my irritation.

Another reason why I'm enjoying this calendar -- the beautiful art work!

I wonder what the lesson for February will be?

(I am posting this as my Thursday post. I'm sure I won't have time to post tomorrow morning. We will be at Anderson again. Mr. Dragon is having a stress test done as part of his workup for surgery. Keep those thoughts, prayers, wishes, white light, juju et al coming!)

Sunday

Nothing is permanent:
The sun and the moon rise and then set,
The bright, clear day is followed by the deep, dark night.
From hour to hour, everything changes.

~Kalu Rinpoche

(Quote from OFFERINGS: Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day by Danielle and Olivier Follmi)

Sunday

"Life is fragile, like the dew hanging delicately on the grass,
crystal drops that will be carried away on the first morning breeze."

~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

(Quote from Offerings: Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day - Danielle and Olivier Follmi)

This and That

I thought this journal page went well with my reading of Happiness is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life by Sylvia Boorstein, Ph.D. So you get two for the price of one today!



Sylvia Boorstein is a co-founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and a senior teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. She writes a regular column in Shambhala Sun and that is where I first *met* her. For many years now, I've enjoyed her columns and her books. I find her thoughtful, kind, funny and a wonderful teacher.

Happiness is an Inside Job is a small gem of a book. Using examples from her own life, she shows how the mind can fall out of its caring connection. "Opinions embedded in neurons take a long time to erase. Peace of mind derives in its own time." "Restoring caring connection when it is disrupted, and maintaining it when it is present, is happiness".

The book is divided into four parts: Equanimity, wisdom, and kindness; wise effort; wise mindfulness; and wise concentration (the last three being the three meditative steps on the Buddha's Eightfold Path).

I took my time reading this book. I wanted to fully digest each part. I keep finding little scraps of paper with quotes around the house -- nice little presents to myself. From Boorstein's friend Tamara "Worrying is futile! You don't know what to worry about first." "May I meet this moment fully. May I meet it as a friend."

She told a story about her uncle who, when he was talking about someone, if deceased would say "Uncle Clyde - May he rest in peace" or if the person was alive would say "may he live and be well" and then go on with "was sure cranky those last days" or "is sure cranky about his garage". Sort of like the Southern, "my neighbor, god bless him, ...". It reminded me of Mr. Spock on Star Trek and the Vulcan greeting "live long and prosper" !!! But, when her uncle died, no one had a bad thing to say about him because he meant - may he rest in peace or may he live and be well - even if they were cranky!

She also talks briefly about her teacher Sharon Salzberg - someone else I enjoy reading.

I'd like to leave you today with this quote--

"Here are the two formulas that I use for formal metta (friendliness or loving kindness) practice:

May I be free of enmity and danger.

May I have mental happiness.

May I have physical happiness.

May I have ease of well-being.

And,

May I feel contented and safe

May I feel protected and pleased.

May my physical body support me with strength.

May my life unfold smoothly with ease. "

Remember to Breathe!

Joy to You!

Today's Flowers

It’s so hard to find someone who doesn’t like flowers. Flowers represent all our best feelings.
To see other flowers from around the world, visit the virtual flower shop at Today’s Flowers, created by Luiz Santilli, Jr.

This is what is currently blooming in our backyard in Musashi's Garden. We have loads of beautiful Ixora blooms in gold and red. Ixora are native to India and Sri Lanka. Ixora is too tender to grow outside of the tropics and subtropics. It prefers a warm, humid climate with temperatures rarely dipping below 50F. They need protection during the winter months in the Houston area.

A fairly small, bushy shrub, usually only 5-10ft tall. There are dwarf varieties that are much smaller. Ixora will flower when only a few inches high. It is commonly used a hedge or small garden plant. They prefer to grow in full sun. Plants have only moderate drought tolerance. We have drought conditions here and water every day.

The plant is mainly grown as an ornamental, but its flowers also have some medicinal uses.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what is blooming in Musashi's Garden.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make our world.

~ Buddhist Saying

Joy to You!

Sunday Morning

Blooming in Musashi's Garden

"I have done my best", that is about all the philosophy of living that one needs....

~ Lin-yutang

Sunday Morning

Fuschia Plumeria Blooming in Musashi's Garden

"We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Sunday Morning

Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them ...

~Zen Quote by Alan Watts

Sunday Morning

From Musashi's Garden

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love,
they will bloom like flowers."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Potpourri

Here's the Friday Journal Page. I think it says it all. Everyone needs to "Take Five" every now and then! I had a great time putting this page together and I finally used some napkins that Sharon sent to me back in December. Better late than never. The wrinkled feet are because my journal book is wrinkled. That's okay. I'm wrinkled, too!

Sharon is doing some videos now. You can find her on YouTube.
I did want to share this video from her blog on the use of napkins.
This is part one.

I'm getting ready for summer with lots of "brain candy". Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie falls under brain candy and fun. In the first book of the series, Abby's work as a psychic intuitive can be very rewarding but when a client winds up dead it seems that Abby may know too many details about the murder for her own good. She doesn't know if she can solve the case, but the killer thinks she can! This was a fast and fun read. There are at least five more in this series and Laurie has another "ghost busting" series. Between Miss Julia from last week and the Laurie books, I think I can stock up with some brain candy for summer!



A Lifetime of Peace: Essential Writings by and about Thich Nhat Hanh Edited by Jennifer Schwamm Willis is a whole different kind of brain candy. This is at least the fourth time I've read this book. I sit down and read a chapter ... put it down for awhile ... pick it up again ... read another chapter. You get the idea. I learn something every time I read it. I guess you could say it is one of my favorite books.

This book draws on dozens of sources to collect the very best writing by and about Thich Nhat Hanh. It is both a political and spiritual handbook which encompasses all of Thich Nhat Hanh's major themes—mindfulness, love, truth, compassion, and peace on earth. This collection not only presents Hanh's writing about his experiences during the Vietnam War and excerpts from his journals, but also subjects such as his advice for those entering into meditation practice and his unique insights into Buddhist and Christian theology. A Lifetime of Peace is an examination of the nature of peace—both as an inner state of being and as a real condition in the world.

Hope your Friday has been inspiring and beautiful and your
weekend is the same!

Sunday Morning

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle.
But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.
Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize:
a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child --
our own two eyes.
All is a miracle."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Buddhism Books

Several of you asked what books I'm reading on Buddhism. Here are a few I use for research that I've had in my collection for years. Most are texts used at university. They help me to get my facts right! I like to give some historical background before I talk about the *art*.

The first is Religions of Asia. The general editor is Robert K.C. Forman and is the third edition. It was used as a text.

The next is my all time favorite for figuring out the iconography of Buddhist art. Reading Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Guide To Buddhist Signs and Symbols by Meher McArthur, published by Thames and Hudson, 2002.

India:The Cultural Companion by Richard Waterstone is a book I found remaindered at Barnes and Noble. This book describes the main themes in the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and other spiritual traditions of India.


The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction (fourth edition) by Robinson and Johnson was used as a textbook. This may be my favorite as far as historical information on the Buddhist tradition worldwide.

I don't know if this helps anyone! There are others in our library. Many art books from the Met.
Loads of books on the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism.

Monday Morning

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher."

~Pema Chodron
I love Pema Chodron and had to share this quote from Big Happy Buddha. It was in this morning's email. There is, of course, a story to go with the quote. There is a man who attends the college baseball games that we go to who just drives all of us nuts. Thankfully, he doesn't come to every game -- just enough so that you hear a collective groan from our section when we see him coming up the stairs. I decided this year, I would not let him *get to me*. I would even smile when I saw him. He's been to one game, was loud and obnoxious as usual, calling one of the men he talks with by the wrong name for the second year in a row, tapping me on the shoulder to ask who was catching our game (why doesn't he do his homework and read about the team??), and on and on and on. He always sits in one of the season ticket holders seats. He knows she sits there. He sits there anyway and when he sees her coming moves. You get the idea.

This year, I smiled when I saw him coming up the steps and we greeted each other with a *it's baseball time!* He hadn't changed at all (groan), but something in me had. I told Mr. Dragon that I was going to be more *Buddhist* this year! Now, I'm not sure that is what I'm doing, but, with just one game down in his presence, it was much more bearable and laughable! If I learned anything it was to laugh!

Now I have to learn to laugh at the calls the umpires make.

Thank you, Ame Pema Chodron.
You always teach me something

And so, dear readers, I hope your week is full of laughs and lessons learned!

Gardening at the Dragon's Gate

I love January. It's the month when all the seed catalogs arrive and millions of gardeners begin to dream about the new plants that will be in their gardens. I understand that the seed companies believe this will be a big year, because of the economy, for first time gardeners who want to grow their own veggies.

My favorite seed catalogs are Cooks Garden and Seeds of Change, but I must tell you about a company I just read about --Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It was started by a young couple in the Missouri Ozarks. The company is 12 years old and I'm just discovering them. I believe deeply in heritage preservation -- in seeds and livestock (one of the reasons we have an heirloom turkey at Thanksgiving despite the expense). I will add the Baker Creek link to my Link Mania sidebar today! You can visit them here.

I bet some of you thought, when you saw the title for this post, that I was talking about our garden. After all, the dragons do live here! Nope. Gardening at the Dragon's Gate by Wendy Johnson is about Wendy's experience as a gardener at the Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center in northern California. I read this book over the summer slowly devouring it. Everything is here from geology to preparing the soil to farmers markets to mushrooms to insects (good and bad) to, well you get the idea. All of this plus a little Zen. Johnson has spent 30 years at Green Gulch. The book is a celebration of inner and outer growth. I enjoyed the book. It was a little slow in parts -- lets say weighted down with necessary information that I wasn't interested in (even when maybe I should have been). I love the resources at the end of the book that are in chapter order and include references on books, articles, web sites from everything imaginable in the gardening and Buddhist world. It will take me years to read all of the information I have *bookmarked*.

Here are just a few of the quotes I have taken from the book that *grabbed* me.

"A day of no work is a day of no eating." ~old Zen proverb.

"You enter the garden because you love creation." ~Alan Chadwick (one of Wendy's teachers).

"Plants grow and purify the air, they clean toxins out of polluted soil, they make food and medicine that support all animal life, and they supply the world with fuel, clothing, tools, shelter, warmth and beauty from their growth and metabolism."

"Every garden is unique, quirky, distinct and disobedient, just like every gardener...".

"Watering is a form of courtship...".

"...all four seasons of the year are present in the span of one day. Thus, spring is the dawn of the day, full summer is high noon, autumn falls at dusk and father winter oversees the midnight hour."

And lastly, my favorite, "You are fine just as you are,' Suzuki Roshi used to say (another of her teachers), 'and you could use a little improvement." Me too!

I've had great fun the last couple of days visiting the folks on the gypsy caravan in the One World One Heart giveaway. There are well over 500 bloggers participating. I have almost visited each blog and once I do, I'll go back and spend more time with, I hope, each and every one. The world is full of talented and interesting people. It has been great fun to *meet* many generous souls. You can find the list by clicking on the image on the sidebar. Thank you, Lisa, for putting the gypsy caravan together!

Temple Trek Two

Some months ago I posted about a Saturday we spent “Temple Trekking” with a colleague of mine. We spent two weekends with her discovering the international city of Houston. This post covers the second weekend.

Our first stop was the Chung-Mei Buddhist Temple. We started in the temple garden.

This young monk is tapping on his “Mokugyo”.

This young monk is napping instead of tapping on his “Mokugyo”, or “Wooden Fish” used to set the pacing of chants. His face conveys the deep peacefulness that many of us are working so hard to find. Maybe if we just sat for a bit and relaxed into the present moment, we would find what we are seeking.

Young apprentice monk with his begging bowl.

One of twelve young monks with a zodiac symbol. I had to have a picture of the dragon.

On the temple steps.

No pictures were allowed inside of the temple. It was much like the Jade Temple except there were three Buddhas on the altar: Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha and the medicine Buddha - Bhaishajyaguru. Instead of pews there were kneelers. There was a small museum area where the story of Kuan Yin was told.

Chung-Mei Temple has a tea room -- FoGuangYuan Tea Room. A drop of water, it is a place for people to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea, and talk about Buddhism and Ch’an. The name of Ch’an Abode - a drop of water - tells us that we should appreciate what we have around us, cherish and be grateful. Tea drinking has an important place in the traditions of Ch’an Buddhism, great monks have attained enlightenment through drinking tea. When people come for a cup of tea they can also attain the wisdom of Buddha’s teaching.

On the suggestion of Rev. Hong, who was an excellent hostess, we ordered three pots of tea, an order of Chinese pancake (small six wedge puff pastry) and an order of Ju-Yi sandwich (made with fresh baked bread, mushrooms, corn, a special blend of herbs and served warm). Everything was delicious. The tea was especially good. My favorite tea was the special fruit tea -- a delicate blend of apples, pineapples and jasmine flowers. The aroma was divine. Kao Shan Tea (high mountain) is a green tea that is grown in the mountains of Taiwan. Only the top tender leaves of the plant are used to make the tea. The third pot of tea was called Black Forest and included blueberries. Mr. Dragon and I need to go back and try out more of the menu -- there is a Prosperity Tea and a Chinese Mint Tea; Prosperity Rice (seven grain special temple blend brown rice with veggies) and Longevity Rice (very dark rice that is cooked with seven grains and beans giving it a distinctive color and flavor and includes veggies and tofu). After our tea we were off to our next stop - a Hindu temple.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the first traditional Hindu shrine of its kind in the country. It’s a massive, sprawling, but resolutely graceful temple, made out of hand-carved white marble from Italy and limestone from Turkey. It’s all turrets, arches, and flags outside and carved likenesses of Hindu gods on the inside. The marble is cool under your bare feet. We had such a good time as we called out to each other as we recognized the Hindu gods -- a nagini, Vishnu and his avatars, Ganesh, Brahma and oodles of others.




Our Saturday came to a close much too swiftly. Soon our friend would be off to China and Beijing to study for a year. We do hear from her and about some of her adventures. She is thinking about starting a blog -- yippeee!

Temple Trek

Now that we are retired, it's time to explore Houston. Visiting various religious buildings in the area was always something we wanted to do. When a colleague and friend announced she was leaving the museum to go to Beijing to study Chinese, the three of us decided it was time to explore and start our temple trek. We started with the Jade Temple.

Kuan Yin who hears the cries of the world.
The bodhisattva of compassion.

Kuan Yin standing on the dragon and lotus base.

We arrived the morning after the full moon and found people honoring their ancestors with prayers and food offerings.

After the ceremony looking from the front door and incense burner toward the pond and the back of Kuan Yin.

This is the interior of the Jade Temple. Looks just like a "regular" church -- pews and all except a Buddha is on the altar.

Close up of Buddha and altar.

Vivian and moi. Art, iconography always on our mind!

Shakyamuni Buddha calling the earth to witness.

After the Jade Temple we took a dim sum break at the Ocean Palace. I've posted about the Palace previously. This is one of the beautiful lotus buds in the pond outside the Palace. Having Vivian with us really increased our enjoyment of the day. She told us stories about dim sum and tea drinking that we will always remember. She is young and this chance to study in Beijing doesn't come around every day. She will be missed. I'm hoping she will start a blog and share her adventures.

Teo Chew Temple

This is a temple that Vivian knew (Chinese and Vietnamese combination). She had attended a New Year celebration here (if I remember correctly) with one of her friends . We did not take pictures inside as we did not want to disturb the people at worship. This is a very traditional temple, one large open room, with Buddhas and bodhisattvas lining the interior walls. You could tell the more popular ones by how many offerings (flowers, food, fruit, candles with prayers or wishes printed on them) had been placed before them. Each had a single kneeler in front. We watched as a young woman prayed before Kuan Yin with her container of sticks, moving the round cylinder up and down until one stick fell to the ground. She took the stick to the fortune teller for reading. You'll recognize Kuan Yin again outside of the temple.

We would temple trek one more day with Vivian before we had to say goodbye and good luck.

Good Morning!

Good Morning! When I wake up I try to do the same things every morning. It's my attempt to get the day off to a good start. Up on my feet and open the shutters to take my first look at the day. The world still exists outside my window. The grass is green. The sun is shining. The trees shading the earth. Thank you for another beautiful day. Do something good with this day!

Then it's out to the balcony to water the tomatoes. Tomatoes on the balcony? Yes! We have a postage stamp back yard which is lovely and I'll share that with you another day. Several years ago we tried tomatoes in the back yard -- in the ground and in containers. I believe we enjoyed one ripe, red juicy tomato. The rest were eaten by Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel and their offspring. Really! We watched them early one morning taking even the green tomatoes off the plant and eating away. I decided this year to try tomatoes in containers on the balcony and I'm happy to report that it seems to be working. We have a dozen tomatoes so far. Delicious! Nothing like a home grown, no pesticide (and all of that) tomato. I did notice yesterday morning that one of the ripening tomatoes had claw/tooth prints. It was still on the plant this morning. I'm leaving it just in case the Squirrel family wants to continue to munch. I keep telling myself "compassion for all living things". "You have enough. You can share with these critters." I don't eat THEIR acorns. Next year we will plant more veggies in more containers on our balcony garden.

I also try to read a brief poem or words of wisdom from a favorite source. Then I'm really ready to say "Charge! Full speed ahead!" Here is a favorite from a small book edited by Jack Kornfield called "Teachings of The Buddha".

DHAMMAPADA

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.
How can a troubled mind
Understand the way?

Your worst enemy cannot harm you
As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.

But once mastered,
No one can help you as much,
Not even your father or your mother.

from the DHAMMAPADA, translated by Thomas Byrom

Wishing you a bright and beautiful day. Good morning!