One thing

 

Darjeeling. November 2013

The one who sees me sees the Dhamma, and the one who sees the Dhamma sees me.

(Vesali Sutta.)

As my time in beautiful Darjeeling comes to a close I realise that I have shared many personal and intimate  moments with the world. I am happy to do this because for me Dhamma is everything. It is the beginning, middle and end of each moment of my day and as the Buddha has said in the Vesali sutta, when the pure Dhamma is present in life there is no separation between  the person and the truth. To see one is to see the other.

My teacher sent me out to share these non religious, non political and non gender oriented teachings of awareness and love so that other beings might benefit from hearing them. But to know them fully, we have to practice.

Knowing about Dhamma is not the same as knowing Dhamma directly, and this is the only thing that has value.

Someone has asked, "how do you meditate in the morning with all that noise going on all around you?"

I can only answer that all those different sounds are part of the meditation, and not outside it.

When we truly understand the Buddha's teaching of liberation, both in sitting practice and in life, we will see that there are no disturbances to be got rid of, only different moments of mind arising and passing away.

This is how to be in peace in life.

May all beings be happy.