the days pass with such simple ease in this place.
up with the sun, the offerings, temple bells, laughter of neighbors pounding chilies with mortar and pestle for the day's meals;
life beings early here.
simple reflections;
being blessed with the luxury of time, to walk slowly down the narrow, crumbling pathways,
bowing and extending a simple "namaste" ("I honor the spirit that is within you) to those passing on their own way;
time is treasured in its abundance.
I try to work with the wandering, planning mind;
focus here, on this precious moment;
inspired by the great Tibetan teachers who have walked these same narrow pathways,
I work to control the mind; to see what is true.
Unknown chatter wafts from an open window above the green courtyard;
distant laughter;
then it is gone.
"The great inspiration of the Buddha's teachings is that we must each take ultimate responsibility for the quality of our lives. When we understand that our lives are the unfolding of karmic law, that we are the heirs to our own deeds, then there grows in us a deepening sense of responsibility for how we live, the choices we make, and the actions we undertake."
-Joseph Goldstein
