Sometimes it's nice to get out of the hut (um, like I don't go to work every day?) and go somewhere I've long heard about:
The Fo Guang Yuen Art Gallery
I went with my lovely friend Hui who has exhibited there before (link to her fabulous work here) as a celebration for her finishing her PhD. She had previously told me the place was packed at lunchtime so we arranged to go early.... and it was almost deserted! The menu soon showed that while they do cater to the lunch crowd they have turned into a mainly afternoon tea place, with many delicious cakes. We had lunch (Hui had noodles, I had dumplings; all vegetarian of course*) and then we explored the meditation hall upstairs and the gallery downstairs. What a lovely oasis of peace in the middle of a bustling city!
The Tea House also had a great selection of books and Buddhist things (statues, rosaries, etc) and the atmosphere was wonderful. A tiny bit out of the way of my usual life, and only open for lunch Monday-Friday, but I'll definitely go again and take other friends.
*I'm not sure what the deal is with Chinese vegetarian food that it has to contain "vegetarian meat" - I know it's usually made from gluten or tofu, but why not make a really good tofu dish, rather than food containing "vegetarian ham"? Hmmm.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Karma
Recently I requested a book from interlibrary loans called "Sweeping Changes: Zen and the art of household maintenance" by Gary Thorpe. (Mandatory link to Amazon here although with a slightly different title(?), but I suggest ILL. Much cheaper, and you won't have the book making more clutter!)
Gary talks about seeing cleaning not as something to be done quickly and then move on to something more fun, but as a small meditation in itself. Did you ever notice how pictures/movies of Zen temples always seem to have a monk or novice outside sweeping up leaves in the garden?
The book is broken up into short chapters, making it a quick and easy read and certainly encouraging me to get up between chapters and do a few things.
We all know the Buddhist concept of fusessho （不殺生/ふせっしょう）: "thou shalt not kill." One amusing moment in the book was when he related the story of a Buddhist teacher and friend in Hawaii who had a problem with cockroaches. Gary writes:
After decades of coping with this problem, he now kills them as he encounters them - with Buddhist compassion - wishing them "better luck next time."
Excellent.
Gary talks about seeing cleaning not as something to be done quickly and then move on to something more fun, but as a small meditation in itself. Did you ever notice how pictures/movies of Zen temples always seem to have a monk or novice outside sweeping up leaves in the garden?
The book is broken up into short chapters, making it a quick and easy read and certainly encouraging me to get up between chapters and do a few things.
We all know the Buddhist concept of fusessho （不殺生/ふせっしょう）: "thou shalt not kill." One amusing moment in the book was when he related the story of a Buddhist teacher and friend in Hawaii who had a problem with cockroaches. Gary writes:
After decades of coping with this problem, he now kills them as he encounters them - with Buddhist compassion - wishing them "better luck next time."
Excellent.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Desire
I was going to call this post "Envy" but I realised I didn't need to be envious, and if I exerted myself I could actually achieve something similar! A few links today to homes/blogs which encourage simplicity and minimalism:
1. Victor & Soeun's Romantic Loft: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2007-entries/11-victor-soeuns-romantic-loft-021235
Fabulous use of a very small space (a 518 sq ft apartment in New York).
2. Churchlady's apartment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/churchlady32/sets/72157621814401207/show/with/3786749539/
Want!
3. Miss Minimalist's blog: http://www.missminimalist.com, especially this post: http://www.missminimalist.com/?p=40
Can you imagine how easy it would be to concentrate on meditation or even reading a book, in such uncluttered surroundings? I spend a lot of time wishing my flat were somewhat like these, and generally Not Actually Doing Anything. All thought, no action. I am inspired!
1. Victor & Soeun's Romantic Loft: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2007-entries/11-victor-soeuns-romantic-loft-021235
Fabulous use of a very small space (a 518 sq ft apartment in New York).
2. Churchlady's apartment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/churchlady32/sets/72157621814401207/show/with/3786749539/
Want!
3. Miss Minimalist's blog: http://www.missminimalist.com, especially this post: http://www.missminimalist.com/?p=40
Can you imagine how easy it would be to concentrate on meditation or even reading a book, in such uncluttered surroundings? I spend a lot of time wishing my flat were somewhat like these, and generally Not Actually Doing Anything. All thought, no action. I am inspired!
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