Seven

I stood on my balcony tonight alone and watched the heavens, breathing in the fullness of universe and breathing out the empty that resides inside me and I watched as the meteor shower displayed it's glorious performance.   Seven.  I counted seven in the half hour I gave myself.   Breathing in the fullness,  breathing out my disappointment of regular life.   Breathing in more deeply as the meteors shot across my head hoping to consume stray stardust to fill me up with the very elements which I am made of.  The basics.   The basics that wear down and become lost as we turn our attention to frivolous concerns of our life.   Frivolous memories that, if not kept in their proper proportions will become too big for us to hold in our hearts without them breaking.   Breathe in the fullness,  breathe out the pain of everyday emotional life.   Breathe in the chaos of the universe.  Breathe out control.

As I breathe, I pray for sleep with out the physical pain that follows me everyday.   I pray for sleep without the mental merry go round of reproach.  I pray for permission to allow myself compassion for just being human.   I pray that I remember to say  "thank you for giving me one more day to get over myself and to get out of my way"  before sleep comes and the stardust has settled into my DNA.

I pray I dream of groundlessness.

59 Pithy Slogans.... how do i pass that up?

I have been reading

The Places that Scare You by Pema Chodron a Buddhist nun

So after struggling through 4 chapter I came across this written on the first page I burst out laughing and found that I was more open to the rest of the book.   Now that I am done, I have to start again.   This time becoming more aware of each process.   Buddha was an interesting teacher.   But was never one to rush through a lesson.  Years can go by.  Years do go by.

I have been working  with Tonglen lately.   It seems to bring other things into better view.  For today my suggested reading of the 59 Pithy Slogans is #31.   It seems to be a current and relevant lesson.

Lojong Slogans:

1: First Train in the Preliminaries
2: Regard all dharmas as dreams
3: Examine the nature of Unborn Awareness4: Self-liberate even the antidote5: Rest in the nature of alaya, the essence6: In postmeditation, be a child of illusion

Absolute and Relative Bodhichitta

7: Sending and taking should be practiced alternately. These two should ride the breath
8: Three objects, three poisons, and three seeds of virtue
9: In all activities train with slogans
10: Begin the sequence of sending and taking with yourself
11: When the world is filled with evil, transform all mishaps into the path of bodhi12: Drive all blames into one13: Be grateful to everyone
14: Seeing confusion as the four kayas is unsurpassable shunyata protection
15: Four practices are the best of methods
16: Whatever you meet unexpectedly, Join it with meditation
17: Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions
18: The Ejection of Consciousness
19: All dharma agrees at one point
20: Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one
21: Always maintain only a joyful mind
22: If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained
23: Always abide by the three basic principles
24: Change your attitude, but remain natural
25: Don't talk about injured limbs
26: Don't Ponder Others
27: Work with the greatest defilements first
28: Abandon any hope of fruition
29: Abandon poisonous food
30: Don't be so predictable
31: Don't malign others
32. Don't wait in ambush
33. Don't bring things to a painful point
34. Don't transfer the ox's load to the cow
35. Don't try and be the fastest
36. Don't Act with a Twist
37. Don't make gods into demons
38. Don’t seek others’ pain as the limbs of your own happiness
39. All activities should be done with one intention40. Correct all wrongs with one intention41. Two activities: one at the beginning, one at the end
42. Whichever of the two occurs, be patient
43. Observe these two, even at the risk of your life
44. Train in the three difficulties
45. Take on the three principal causes
46. Pay heed that the three never wane
47. Keep the three inseparable
48. Train without bias in all areas. It is crucial always to do this pervasively and wholeheartedly
49. Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment.
50. Don’t be swayed by external circumstances. 
51. This time, practice the main points. >
52. Don't misinterpret.
53. Don't vacillate
54. Train Wholeheartedly
55. Liberate yourself by examining and analyzing
56. Don’t wallow in self-pity 
57. Don't be jealous
58. Don't be frivolous
59. Don't expect applause