Had a full few days.

Last Sunday a big Wesak celebration and ceremony at our temple followed by a delicious pot-luck lunch. It is basically the biggest day in the Buddhist year because it celebrates the month within which the Buddha was born, experienced his enlightenment, and within which he died.

Monday a day of morning rush hour, coming and going through S.F. to pick someone up at airport. Yikes! Then going to the Monterey Market and then The Berkeley Bowl, two of the greatest food marts in America. At the Monterey Market it’s not unusual to see not only an array of fruits and vegetables available in California, but also a choice of sometimes five, six or seven of, say, apples, or oranges or raspberries or potatoes or name something. At the Berkeley Bowl, at least twenty types of granola,@ $3.39 per lb. and that’s just one example. A pound of healthy organic granola for less than a sugar drenched and additive-infused 12 ounce box of air. I know. I know. Judgmental.

There’s a lot to like about the Bay area.  I’m watching Western Conference NBA finals. Go warriors!.

Today, a morning of  having coffee with a person and talking about Buddhism and Zen. I’ve stopped being surprised at how little people know about Buddhism and its practice; and that’s people who tell me they’ve been practicing for a number of years. I know. I know…Oh, well…

We can only train with what we know and the reality is that if one is a better person and does good for others, it doesn’t really matter what information that is based on. Although, at some point various delusions do take a toll. I know that from personal experience.

The afternoon spent with someone I’m sponsoring through the 12 Steps of AA. I’m so fortunate in how I’m able to spend my time. I keep learning. Well, at least being taught.

I’ve just come out of a period of more than several weeks that my views were very clouded by delusion and all I could do was just train through it. Not get overwhelmed by the karma (feelings), and that’s ultimately the heart of the practice. When things get uncomfortable, it’s just that. Uncomfortable. That I don’t like being uncomfortable is not news, or that I’d rather that things were pleasant is not a revelation. That’s just information. Like a weather report. Within my climate there is a lot of weather and seasonal change. Sometimes I don’t prepare sufficiently for the conditions and then I suffer and am at dis-ease. It’s just conditions moving through me (the climate). Today I feel mostly comfortable with that understanding, but when I wasn’t understanding that; well that was a different story. Distance. Time. Abiding. Allowing.

So, Warriors are ahead at this point in the game and life is good. Should they lose, no problem; it’s a good game, fun to watch. Relaxation.

Life is good, always nourishing, sometimes bland; even bitter.

When I told someone that

Thomas Cromwell gets his

Head chopped off a few years

After Boleyn, I was accused of

Spoiling the PBS series. I forgot

That a lot of history is always new.