Boddhisattva Never Disparaging

I have had a little… difficulty, shall we say… with sharing a home with my sister and her family, recently. I have been determining to change my relationship karma, to let go of my need for abusive relationships, and not surprisingly, this has kicked up some karmic dust. Difficult relationships have become a little more difficult and my first reaction is to run and hide away in my room.

Relationships are mirrors. What is becoming clear to me now is that transforming this karma is not so much about how other people treat me, it’s a lot more to do with how I treat myself and others.

I found this passage on Boddhisattva Never Disparaging on the SGI USA website:

“There is a fundamental oneness of self and others. Therefore when Bodhisattva Never Disparaging made his bow of obeisance to the four groups of people, the Buddha nature inherent in the lives of the four groups of arrogant people bowed toward Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. This is the same as how when one bows facing a mirror, the reflected image bows back” (GZ, 769).

I’ve resisted looking at some people’s Buddha nature. I figured how can someone that mean or nasty have Buddha nature? I realise now that they DO have Buddha nature, they are just not aware of it. By refusing to see the Buddha nature in those people, I am refusing to see the Buddha nature in me, and thus, slandering the Mystic Law.

I Bless The Rain Down in Africa...

There is a different quality to the rain in Africa. Especially out here in the Highveld, with the dramatic thunderstorms we get.

I missed these storms. I missed the scent of the earth after a downpour and the freshness of the air. I've missed the dark thunderheads that hang low in the sky and the electric morse code they send out. I missed the crashes and booms and then... the rain. The fat drops, the sheets of rain. Rain that could only be appreciated in Africa.

No. Rain is not the same wherever you go. Here in Africa, the rain is as wild as the land.

I Am One With The Universe... I Am One With Me....

(and an update)

Yes, 'tis I... Tanya. Blogging. Again. After almost a month's absence, I have returned to the blogosphere. A crappy, slow connection and pay-as-you-go Internet have forced me away from the computer and my emails and my blogging. Restricting a Gemini's ability to communicate is tantamount to torture.

The big news, so far, is that I have fallen in love. That's right. I have fallen in LOVE. With ME.

I have realised that if I want to transform my relationship karma, then I have to change my relationships with everyone I know and that includes my relationship with myself. So, after a time of searching deep into the heart of me, I decided that now is the time to transform all the crap and start seeing my glowing and beautiful Buddha nature. The added bonus is that since doing this, I can appreciate the Buddha nature in others too. Win-win.

I have also realised that since coming back to South Africa I have spent a lot of time going to Buddhist meetings and a lot less time hanging out with friends. So, now I am making a committed effort to spending more time with friends.

In other news, I am loving my new job as a chiropractor's assistant. I enjoy working for the man so much I would happily do it for free. I look forward to each working day and I feel valued and I feel I am contributing in a deep and useful way.

I bought some canvasses with my pay cheque. The guy at the shop gave me two extra canvasses for free - they had little tears in them. I started painting a mega canvas for my sister's Christmas present. The Goddess Hecate. It's really beautiful and as I work on it it feels as though I am channeling. Added to that, there is a long line of deities queuing up to have their portrait painted by me. Bast is next, followed by Freya, then Gaia and the Green Man. Yup. a Buddhist who paints channeled portraits of pagan deities! He he

Recently spent some time with my good buddy Joe. I am hoping, finances permitting, to go down to Cape Town for a short visit in February.

I am so happy, so peaceful and so settled now. Coming back to SA is the best ever move I could have made. Yes, I miss my privacy and I miss my friends in the UK, but I am also so grateful to be HOME.