lotusinthemud

guidelines for cats

And, if you are owned by a cat, you will recognise these:

Doors
Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get door opened, stand on hind legs and hammer with forepaws. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an "outside" door opened, stand halfway in and out and think about several things. This is particularly important during very cold weather, rain, snow, or mosquito season. Swinging doors are to be avoided at all costs.

Chairs and Rugs
If you have to throw up, get to a chair quickly. If you cannot manage in time, get to an Oriental rug. If there is no Oriental rug, shag is good. When throwing up on the carpet, make sure you back up so that it is as long as the human's bare foot.

Bathrooms
Always accompany guests to the bathroom. It is not necessary to do anything . . . just sit and stare.

::and much more, from James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door

our teachers come in many forms

In India, I was living in a little hut, about six feet by seven feet. It had a canvas flap instead of a door. I was sitting on my bed meditating, and a cat wandered in and plopped down on my lap. I took the cat and tossed it out the door. Ten seconds later it was back on my lap. We got into a sort of dance, this cat and I. I would toss it out, and it would come back. I tossed it out because I was trying to meditate, to get enlightened. But the cat kept returning. I was getting more and more irritated, more and more annoyed with the persistence of the cat. Finally, after about a half-hour of this coming in and tossing out, I had to surrender. There was nothing else to do. There was no way to block off the door. I sat there, the cat came back in, and it got on my lap. But I did not do anything. I just let go. Thirty seconds later the cat got up and walked out. So you see, our teachers come in many forms.

~ Joseph Goldstein in Transforming the Mind, Healing the World

our teachers come in many forms - some of them four-legged

In India, I was living in a little hut, about six feet by seven feet. It had a canvas flap instead of a door. I was sitting on my bed meditating, and a cat wandered in and plopped down on my lap. I took the cat and tossed it out the door. Ten seconds later it was back on my lap. We got into a sort of dance, this cat and I. I would toss it out, and it would come back. I tossed it out because I was trying to meditate, to get enlightened. But the cat kept returning. I was getting more and more irritated, more and more annoyed with the persistence of the cat. Finally, after about a half-hour of this coming in and tossing out, I had to surrender. There was nothing else to do. There was no way to block off the door. I sat there, the cat came back in, and it got on my lap. But I did not do anything. I just let go. Thirty seconds later the cat got up and walked out. So you see, our teachers come in many forms.

~ Joseph Goldstein in Transforming the Mind, Healing the World

the naming of sanghas

Oh, I like this - Woodmoor Village -

About the Naming of Sanghas...
(with apologies to T.S. Eliot)

The naming of Sanghas is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your Buddhist games;
You may think at first I'm mad as a hatter
When I tell you a sangha must have three
different names.

First of all, there's the name
that the members use daily,
Such as Group, or Gathering,
Meeting or Friends--
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names
if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the lay ladies,
some for the lay gents;
Such as Zen Group, Meditation,
and Mindfulness Center--
But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you,
a Sangha needs a name that's particular,
....continued

deprived at breakfast

Dharmavidya has blogged about breakfast conversations at The Buddhist House. There are usually so many lively and wideranging discussions and opportunities for on-the-spot teaching over meals there. So I'm feeling deprived of my sangha - the company and the inspiration - my breakfast is usually a solitary affair. Oops - sorry - the cats are rather put out at that. They usually try to persuade me that my breakfast time is time for their elevenses. You know how cats are at twisting the truth. And twisting humans round their paws.

cat accepts adoration from lowly human

Is it a Buddha?

or a Sphinx?

or just Tashi being wonderfully and beautifully cat - and knowing it?

I've got my love to keep me warm

Here's the delicious Tashi, who sits behind my neck on the back of the sofa in the evenings

All Sentient Beings....

Prasada blogs from North America, as she and Dharmavidya continue on their teaching tour,  on cats, seagulls, parrots, dogs, a spider, a snake and a hamster, not to mention Amida volunteers, students in Delhi, women in religion and attendees at events in Vancouver.

And now, continuing the theme, in less happy circumstances, the news tells us of a whale in the Thames. Lets hope there's a safe and happy conclusion to this creature's adventure.

Evening in my study...

Tashi is sitting on the windowsill of my study. It's early evening and the setting sun is reflected bright upon the upper walls of the houses across the back alley. Birds are singing before bedtime. There's a blackbird on the roof opposite. Tashi, tantalised, cries quietly. Poor puss - temptation, but safely out of reach.

I'm typing up notes for Dharmavidya's third talk from last summer's retreat at our French Retreat Centre: Essence and Existence. This morning Colin came over and we spent a companionable few hours copying the tape of that talk, cutting and inserting tape covers, wrapping tapes, along with the other two that are going out, in bubble wrap. Tomorrow they'll go into recycled brown A4 envelopes from Peter's office - and into the mail.

The end of the day

Tashi is sitting on my study windowsill here on the first floor, chattering away at something in the back garden. I've just looked and can't see what. Surely it's a little late for birds? But he sees something with his cat eyes - and wants to kill it. It's all talk with him - he hasn't ever caught anything. (Shhh - don't hurt his feelings.) But the instinct is there.

This afternoon I posted off 70 copies of 'Running Tide' and Amida Newcastle newsletters I was working on yesterday. I walked down West Avenue with the mail in my old lady's wheely bag and found a huge queue in the Post Office. I'd planned to sit and stick the stamps on leisurely over a coffee - but the cafe was shut and the chairs have been taken from the Post Office in their 'improvements'. Afterwards I went to 'Out Of This World' and had a chat with P..., who has a holiday and evening job there - he's a sixth former from my old school, who came to the Amida meeting for the first time on Monday. I met him in the shop some months ago.

I've spent the evening catching up with two members of the Newcastle sangha on the phone. One wanted blogging advice. The other to give me her news and to arrange for me to take her down to The Buddhist House in May. Then chat with Dharmavidya and Madrakara on 'Hello'

Now, no more excuses - the pile of ironing demands my attention.