Awen just loves cleaning,' my daughter, Gra-anna, told me with a big smile.
I watched three year old Awen with his cloth. Busy, busy wiping the floor, then shining it. When he was done he looked around purposefully to see where he could go next with his cleaning cloth.
My grandson was playing. He was playing, 'cleaning, cleaning'. If there was a spill so much the better, Awen was at it in a flash. When we finished our meal, Awen toddled off to the sink with his plate and on tippy toes, rinsed off his plate, after each meal. Happy as can be. That was 4 years ago, but the memory glows brightly in my heart.
When I partook in my yoga teacher training course, I learned about Karma Yoga. We were on a karma yoga roster for things like cleaning the dishes. I used these moments to learn to see the 'mundane' as sacred.
I was walking down the path a moment ago, going to fetch my son, Neville from school, when I suddenly remembered Awen cleaning and it all came together.
What is the attitude of play? When Awen was cleaning, he was very busy doing the work of a child which is to play. Do you remember the head space of playing? This is the way all things need to be approached, isn't it?
(dedicated to those who are loving and all those who grant others the honor of loving them)
There was something precious
about the way you left your window open
that day it rained and the wind was howling
Your gauzy curtain, a dancing muse, flying
wispy poetry for all eyes to see
There’s something precious shared
When you leave your heart achingly wide
to share without withholding
loving without a single thought
For that utterly unprotected warm place
There’s something precious that happens
When you drop those boundaries
between self and others and objects
And gift all earth with the abundance
Of boundlessness
(1st published on Metta's new site: http://united-buddhist-networks.ning.com)
For those interested in meditation, I’ve posted a series of youtube talks by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, titled Nature of Mind, which I recommend strongly. Although she is a Buddhist nun, her teachings target a wider audience and are useful for anyone wishing to understand the mind and how to improve one’s meditation practice. She uses a lovely simple approach and her manner is always ‘down to earth’. She spent 12 years in a cave in meditation; if anyone has insight into the mind, it is someone with this sort of experience.
As I watch this series, I have the sense of one who knows and understands the mind in the same way a doctor does anatomy. I get the sense of one who was watched the workings of the mind extensively and not only deeply understands, but has mastered this science/experience. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo explains things so you know ‘why’ you need to do it, which makes the meditation experience practical and sensible, instead following what you’re ‘told to do’ without explanation, as many teachers seem to expect, perhaps unwittingly, When we simply act out instructions which we do not intrinsically understand, we will seldom pursue them with in a committed way or for any prolonged period of time.
This series feels like a lovely ‘handbook’ on meditation and is excellent for beginners and also for those who have had uneven experiences and access to information on meditation and may need to ‘fill in the missing gaps’. Click here and scroll down until you see the youtube postings
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