A Strange Tail

Wuzu Fayan said, 'It’s as though a water buffalo is passing

through a lattice window. Its head, horns, and four legs have all

gone through. Why can't the tail go through? ' 

I like this koan. Holding on to the tail while I paint ! I keep asking myself....'is this the tail?.....is this the tail? ' Curiouser and curiouser... Why does the tail remain? What is holding onto it? Ahhhhh, attachments. And so I start to notice my everyday attachments, well, life generally. Mind, desire, want, this should be different. Every day needs. The human genome. We can't pass completely through the lattice window, because if we do, we fall off the cliff !

I'm in the process of setting up an Etsy shop...Huzzah. Easier said than done for a technophobe like me. I will be selling originals as well as some cards and giclée prints. So hold onto your hats and I'll let you know when I'm up and running.

Wrong action ?

 Looking back to Sliema as the storm passes.

 Fireworks at dusk over Valletta.

A blissful few days in the winter sun. A new horizon, new people, a new way of life. New thoughts about the future. Rosy.

It's easy though not to practise when a routine is muddled. Not remembering to sit, not having time to sit, excuses that others make it difficult to sit, excuse after excuse. I notice the days that I forget or don't have time to sit are full of wrong thoughts, wrong actions. It's a bit like starting the day by getting out of the wrong side of bed. Bad decisions are made, I'm at the mercy of my mindlessness, the day is haphazard. The consequences can be shambolic. 

I also notice the difference that starting the day with meditation makes. Clear thought....or at least watching the thoughts that pop up, and noticing them for what they are. Intuitive right action. Making sense of doubt. Giving my self a chance to live each moment, happy or painful. Facing the fear. Trust, letting go of the river bank, lying on my back and allowing myself to float down the river. I have a wonderful picture of Ophelia covered in flowers, doing just that !