May Meredith
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I believe I am obviously (to myself and others) of the Padma/Vajra families. The photos Susan posted of the snow and ice and the fish and dahlia really hit home with me. I love seeing the nuances of color around me and the nuances in conversations taking place. I often express myself and find that other people don’t get “where I’m coming from”. Sometimes no matter how I re-word and explain, it’s like I’m speaking another language! I guess at that point, I actually am :-). I also identify with the poisons of anger (especially at the unjust) and desire (for deepening relationships). This was such an interesting class! Now I’m anxious to learn the Buddhist Enneagram!
Joell, I am holding you in my heart as you traverse pain and healing. I am so sorry you are experiencing this and pray you get relief.
MayI am going to use the Four Karmas for dealing with my anxiety over my daughter’s marriage. My concern for her happiness and well-being has a tendency to take over MY well-being at times and this “problem” will not be resolving any time soon nor easily. Without realizing it, I have been dwelling in the Pacify and Enrich karmas and I suppose I am in the Magnetize realm now. The Four Karmas will be very helpful and reassuring to me as we navigate this.
@maureen
Maureen, I cared for my 98-year-old mother in my home in the last year of her life. I can’t believe anything I do will be that challenging — emotionally or physically. I know I did the best I could with the knowledge and help I had, but I wish I could finally leave my self-doubts and recriminations behind. I feel the same way about that situation like I do about raising my children — I desperately want a “do-over” with the knowledge I have now.@marybeth @betsy
I so feel and question similarly — just this morning I realized I am much closer to 71 than 70 (and it feels like my birthday was just days ago but it will be here in 3 mos.!).
Now that I am not working I struggle with how best to spend my time. Getting to this Last Act I am in the absolute thick of Life is Suffering and everything will fall away; Everything Changes; and in my life I absolutely ache with the beauty and love of it and my family…which means I grieve the thought of losing any of it. The notion of karma is soothing to me, however. I like thinking about everything that brought me to this spot in time and that I am continuously planting karmic seeds along the rest of my way.Melanie, I love your joy in celebrating your feminine lineage and energy! Thanks to many experiences, the birth of my daughter, books, and a radically (in a great way!) feminist sister-in-law I began to truly embrace all that being female gives to the world. My mother was born too early to live in that joyful freedom. I ask her blessings along with my grandmother, great-grandmother, and other beautiful and world-changing women in history.
Jake, thank you for the “aha” of your quote “You are here because somebody loved you.” I have not been thinking of my teachers and mentors as my lineage, but I certainly do now. I have been so fortunate to have had wonderful mentor/teachers who made a big impact on the quality of life and friends who were also my teachers whether they meant to be or not! Thank you for this lovely reminder.
Wendy, I strongly identify with your sometimes struggle to live in Christianity and Buddhism. I once said I was a Native American Buddhist Episcopalian! I’ve been trying to sort out my spiritual nature for several years (make that many). I am comfortable with the Episcopal liturgy and service because I was raised in that tradition; I feel strongly connected to everything in nature and the universe; and I love all that Buddhism has to offer. Like you, I long for community. Organized religion is not where my soul thrives and we have no sanghas in my area. I’ve been working on living in the present and being open to my evolution as it comes!
I at first thought I didn’t have anything I needed for a shrine, but it all came together so easily. I remembered a beautiful table runner of my mother’s that is white with light green edging and butterflies; I used a lamp with the 3 monkeys sculpted on the base (see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil); a small Tibetan singing bowl that I had been given; a print of a magnolia blossom; a small wooden sculpture of a boy who reminds me of the Buddha; a candle; and a lapel pin that belonged to my grandmother or great-grandmother. I am so glad that I created this and wished I had done it much earlier (but, obviously, this was the right moment).
The magnolia, the table runner, and the pin are a link to my matriarchal lineage which I love calling on for blessings, and the boy and bowl are my link to my evolving spirituality! I feel wonderful in this new space.Greetings, to everyone from Fayetteville, Arkansas, in the northwest corner of AR. I grew up Episcopalian but stopped attending when my teenagers headed to other churches with their friends. I grew interested in meditation a few years ago and have had what I would call a “light practice” — consistent but not where I want it. I attended a sangha a few times with my sister-in-law when we visited Nashville and would love to have one of my own. I would say I’m in a spiritual evolution. I think this course will be perfect for deepening my understanding of Buddhism’s teaching and incorporating them into my life. I appreciate the opportunity to do this with a community of learners!
