In this journey I have had so many ‘Stardust moments’. If you haven’t read the book or seen the film, go away and watch/read it. Right. Now. There is a scene where the fallen star, who hasn’t been able to shine since she landed on the Earth, is in a warm bath, feeling comfort and kindness for the first time. And her shine returns, starting from her heart, seeping out of her whole body*. That’s how I feel today.
Heidi & I started out our day in the most wonderful way: we went to The Land of the Medicine Buddha for an hour of meditation and prayer. This is not my first rodeo. I’ve done my fair share of meditating in the past, but this was an extraordinary experience. On top of the usual visualisation, the Venerable Yenchang explained to us some of the teachings of Buddha. Although there was a lot of group chanting and prayers, the spirituality came from within. Unlike the group prayers at Passover, where there was a strong spirituality amongst the group, at the meditation the experience was more individual, personal.
We learnt that Buddha taught how to wish all sentient beings happiness and the causes of happiness; and how to wish all sentient beings be delivered from suffering and the causes of suffering. These words stuck to me. The lack of differentiation between “us” and “them”, or even “me” and “others”. We are all equal.
Another word that really struck a chord was “courageous”. Yenchang explained that to live life in this we way had to be courageous. After yesterday’s introduction to Passover where it was taught that to be free you had to work hard and have a spirit of idealism, I’m starting to open my eyes to… A new way of living, perhaps.
It’s something I will be contemplating over the coming months as I shape the next phase of my life. This session of meditation helped me start my day on such a positive note. I had few bad thoughts, no aches and pains, and my spirit feels so light. I might change my daily yoga goal to a daily meditation goal.
After meditation, we had the most marvelous trip up the Slow Coast. Beautiful ocean views to one side, and rolling countryside to the other. Having this day with such a wonderful friend has been an incredible gift. Lunch by the ocean, walks on the beach, wine-tasting and goat-visiting. Apart from the Land of the Medicine Buddha, we didn’t plan anything. We just drove, and stopped when we saw something we liked.
Every day I am thankful to have this wonderful woman as my friend.
*I have to admit, right after this a whole lot of people try and kill her or cut out her heart… But that’s beside the point.
Mission: Playtime 