The monks from a certain monestary (I can't remember the name of it) in Tibet come through our area once or twice a year. Every couple of years we are lucky enough to see them painstakingly create a Mandala out of sand. It takes about 3 days. Once it's complete, they hold a ceremony where they brush all the sand into a pile symbolizing impermanence. If you attend the ceremony, you get to keep a little bag full of the sand. The rest they take down and spread into the nearby river. It's amazing to watch them create intricate shapes and symbols with sand, scraping a few grains at a time onto the table with a tool that looks like a hollow stick.
They speak very little English...so it's hard to ask questions. It's a very interesting religion. I've been studying the writings of the Dalai Lama for the past two years...and like all other religions, there are things I agree with and things I don't. I can't say that I fully buy into the belief that we reincarnate....however, I don't know for sure. I suppose that if it were true, I may not even remember any past lives. At this point in life, I just want to keep an open mind and realize that we are all on our own journey, our beliefs shaped uniquely....our pathways all (hopefully) ending at some spiritual home where we rest from physical troubles.
They speak very little English...so it's hard to ask questions. It's a very interesting religion. I've been studying the writings of the Dalai Lama for the past two years...and like all other religions, there are things I agree with and things I don't. I can't say that I fully buy into the belief that we reincarnate....however, I don't know for sure. I suppose that if it were true, I may not even remember any past lives. At this point in life, I just want to keep an open mind and realize that we are all on our own journey, our beliefs shaped uniquely....our pathways all (hopefully) ending at some spiritual home where we rest from physical troubles. I like the Buddhist teachings of peace and compassion. Of course, those teachings aren't unique to Buddhism.
One thing I brought away from a class taught by these monks a couple years ago was a simple tenet spoken in broken English....a Buddhist teaching probably spoken more eloquently in their language. :) The teacher said, "If you can't change it, don't worry about it.....If you CAN change it, don't worry about it." I read in another Buddhist book a similar phrase that they called "flatten your heart". In other words, don't take everything so seriously and don't let the little things ruin your entire day. :) I meditate on that every day because it's so easy to let small disappointments get in the way of the greater good.
Love and Namaste
1 comment:
I NEED to immortalize those saying so much - I'm finding it harder and harder each day but still keep trying. I sure wish you lived closer. *hugs* ♥
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