Saturday, May 13, 2006
Buddhas Everywhere
Today, I had more interesting experiences with my "Buddha of Love" (the thangka I recently purchased.) As I looked at "him" with soft eyes, the face shifted to that of a female goddess-like figure, then a mother with babe at breast, then a boy about 13 or 14. None of these images was totally clear--they were as much mental creations as outward manifestations. Then, as I continued to gaze, the gold highlights of the painting (real gold, as I understand it) began to flicker, and I watched a kind of mini-light show. It reminded me of the strange light which seemed to emanate from the ouija board many years ago, as I focused on the messages being spelled out by our "spirit guide." I think it is possible that such illuminations come from the "astral plane," the level we go to when we surrender "ordinary awareness," and begin to see with different eyes.
And I continue to meet extraordinary people as I voyage about the city. On the bus I met a lovely women in her seventies, who was carrying flowers she had grown in her garden to a friend's house. She confided that she had been born in China, then had lived in Mongolia where her father (an American diplomat) was the head consul. During World War II the family had to flee. After spending time in a refugee camp, they settled in San Francisco, where she had lived for many years. Again, this was a pleasant and totally transitory encounter. I am sure I will never see her again.
And, in another part of the city, I happened to stroll by a chiropractor's office. When I stopped to check the interesting flyers on his open door, he came out to visit. His space was very interesting. One or two other practitioners were working on people on tables set up nearby. The walls were hung with artwork from local artists, all for sale at various prices. The owner (a nice looking fellow probably in his forties) asked me what I did, and when I confessed that I was a poet, he said he loved poetry. He named W. H. Auden and John Donne among his favorites, and then added Edna St. Vincent Millay. She, of course, has fallen out of favor in recent years, now that the "romantic vision" is no longer the dominant mode. But who could forget the opening lines of her famous poem which begins "All I could see/ from where I stood/ was three long mountains/ and a wood." Andy (the chiropractor) said he had visited the very spot which she was describing, and we agreed that she was a moving poet, even if she isn't taken all that seriously by today's critics.
"Dr.Andy" gave me his card as I left, and I found his philosophy on the back:
Keep your heart free from hate, your mind free from worry.
Live simply. Expect little. Give much
Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine.
Forget self. Think of others. Do as you would be done by.
Trust God. Thank God for all your blessings.
Do all you can for people without thought of personal gain.
Spread happiness.
Would that our world would place such admonitions on our courthouse lawns, and that people would abide by them. How simple and wonderful might life then be.
"Dr. Andy" offers a free first visit, and advertises "affordable chiropractic guaranteed."
Another practitioner who exemplifies this philosophy through his work is Joshua, my amazing herbalist. Joshua gathers and prepares his own tinctures, and seems to have an uncanny grasp of the client's needs. His office is itself like a meditation chamber, with quiet clear energies and soothing atmosphere. He is comparatively young, but highly skilled in his profession. With his help, I have remedied health problems which have plagued me for years, including the digestive upsets which at one time threated to ruin my life. I not only feel ten years younger, I feel even better than I did ten years ago. He also has a commitment to helping others, rather than trying to squeeze them for the last possible dollar or dime He is especially generous toward those unable to pay the usual rates (and his are modest to start with). He has a sliding scale, geared to what the person is able to pay, and will in certain cases charge nothing at all for his herbs.
And I could enumerate many others who seek to give, rather than to take, from their fellow homans, including, rather conspicuously, Dr. Lawrence Edwards, the Jungian therapist who is also a world expert on kundalini, and gives generously of his time and knowledge to those seeking help or information on kundalini transformation.
And, of course, I would add those like my dear friend Michael, whose recent "seva" (devotional service) has been to assist me in countless ways getting myself moved and settled into new quarters.
It is folks like these I call "the Buddhas among us." They are doing their part to make this world a better place, rather than trying to get rich and invest in schemes to make ever more money.
They will do well when they arrive at heaven's gate. I wonder what the others will carry with them in their "portfolios."
And I continue to meet extraordinary people as I voyage about the city. On the bus I met a lovely women in her seventies, who was carrying flowers she had grown in her garden to a friend's house. She confided that she had been born in China, then had lived in Mongolia where her father (an American diplomat) was the head consul. During World War II the family had to flee. After spending time in a refugee camp, they settled in San Francisco, where she had lived for many years. Again, this was a pleasant and totally transitory encounter. I am sure I will never see her again.
And, in another part of the city, I happened to stroll by a chiropractor's office. When I stopped to check the interesting flyers on his open door, he came out to visit. His space was very interesting. One or two other practitioners were working on people on tables set up nearby. The walls were hung with artwork from local artists, all for sale at various prices. The owner (a nice looking fellow probably in his forties) asked me what I did, and when I confessed that I was a poet, he said he loved poetry. He named W. H. Auden and John Donne among his favorites, and then added Edna St. Vincent Millay. She, of course, has fallen out of favor in recent years, now that the "romantic vision" is no longer the dominant mode. But who could forget the opening lines of her famous poem which begins "All I could see/ from where I stood/ was three long mountains/ and a wood." Andy (the chiropractor) said he had visited the very spot which she was describing, and we agreed that she was a moving poet, even if she isn't taken all that seriously by today's critics.
"Dr.Andy" gave me his card as I left, and I found his philosophy on the back:
Keep your heart free from hate, your mind free from worry.
Live simply. Expect little. Give much
Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine.
Forget self. Think of others. Do as you would be done by.
Trust God. Thank God for all your blessings.
Do all you can for people without thought of personal gain.
Spread happiness.
Would that our world would place such admonitions on our courthouse lawns, and that people would abide by them. How simple and wonderful might life then be.
"Dr. Andy" offers a free first visit, and advertises "affordable chiropractic guaranteed."
Another practitioner who exemplifies this philosophy through his work is Joshua, my amazing herbalist. Joshua gathers and prepares his own tinctures, and seems to have an uncanny grasp of the client's needs. His office is itself like a meditation chamber, with quiet clear energies and soothing atmosphere. He is comparatively young, but highly skilled in his profession. With his help, I have remedied health problems which have plagued me for years, including the digestive upsets which at one time threated to ruin my life. I not only feel ten years younger, I feel even better than I did ten years ago. He also has a commitment to helping others, rather than trying to squeeze them for the last possible dollar or dime He is especially generous toward those unable to pay the usual rates (and his are modest to start with). He has a sliding scale, geared to what the person is able to pay, and will in certain cases charge nothing at all for his herbs.
And I could enumerate many others who seek to give, rather than to take, from their fellow homans, including, rather conspicuously, Dr. Lawrence Edwards, the Jungian therapist who is also a world expert on kundalini, and gives generously of his time and knowledge to those seeking help or information on kundalini transformation.
And, of course, I would add those like my dear friend Michael, whose recent "seva" (devotional service) has been to assist me in countless ways getting myself moved and settled into new quarters.
It is folks like these I call "the Buddhas among us." They are doing their part to make this world a better place, rather than trying to get rich and invest in schemes to make ever more money.
They will do well when they arrive at heaven's gate. I wonder what the others will carry with them in their "portfolios."
