To begin the new year, @Aranya and I made another project together!
The inter-cosmic void
SN 56.46
âThere is, monks, an inter-cosmic void, an unrestrained darkness, a pitch-black darkness, where even the light of the sun & moon â so mighty, so powerful â doesnât reach.â
When this was said, one of the monks said to the Blessed One, âWow, what a great darkness! What a really great darkness! Is there any darkness greater & more frightening than that?â
âThere is, monk, a darkness greater & more frightening than that.â
âAnd which darkness, lord, is greater & more frightening than that?â
"Any brahmans or contemplatives who do not know, as it actually is present, that âThis is stressâ; who do not know, as it actually is present, that âThis is the origination of stressâ⌠âThis is the cessation of stressâ⌠âThis is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stressâ: They revel in (thought-) fabrications leading to birth; they revel in fabrications leading to aging; they revel in fabrications leading to death; they revel in fabrications leading to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair.
The monastery Iâm visiting at the moment for some reason has an emu egg on their Buddha shrine⌠To turn it into a Buddhist item, they asked me to make a doodle on it!
So⌠@Aranya, your âResplendent Buddhaâ (post #53) is now on an emu egg!
They are naturally black. The neighbor of the monastery has an emu farm. Apparently, the eggs are very much in demand by egg artists because of their colorâŚ
Unfortunately, the monastic community had omelet on Xmas dayâŚ
I found this interesting details about the life of emus:
Breeding takes place in May and June, and fighting among females for a mate is common. Females can mate several times and lay several clutches of eggs in one season. The male does the incubation; during this process he hardly eats or drinks and loses a significant amount of weight. The eggs hatch after around eight weeks, and the young are nurtured by their fathers. They reach full size after around six months, but can remain as a family unit until the next breeding season.
Actually, it reminds me this story from the Jatakas where the Buddha-to-be and his wife are sitting outside their house in the evening, having a cup of tea, watching the sunsetâŚ
Then he makes a deep-drawn sigh: âDarling, I would really like to go forth!â
She, also sighing: âDarling, good that you mention it. I too would like to go forth!â
He: âLetâs wait until the kids are grown up and then do it!â
She: "Darling, Iâm still going to the well, we are running out of water⌠"âand off she goesâŚ
Only that the emu females donât go to the monastery but are just running off with another mate.
Emotional neglect of children, either by their parents leaving to become bhikkhus or ordaining at a very young age, isnât acceptable nowadays. Its one of the forms of child abuse - whereas many generations ago, children were easily given away to be raised elsewhere. This type of early trauma has consequences in later adult life- emotional instability, anxiety and depression, issues with relationships might manifest. Its not possible to destroy a childâs emotional wellbeing over the rest of their life, for you wellbeing. The kamma alone would become a hindrance to oneâs progress in the path. I would condone threatening to commit suicide, less ordination is granted by the bhikkhus, in comparison to this. Poor parenting results in a massive amount of suffering in this world to all parties. Also the parenting role isnât permanent. Kids grow up and they eventually leave you. Also if you really want to practice, lay life isnât half bad place to do it. Waiting for the perfect circumstances to practice is great but when this much is at stake, you make do. âIf there is a will, there is a wayâ. Life is the practice, or make it your place of practice, not only an isolated jungle⌠Seclusion from time to time at least, is necessary, but I was told by a learned monk that even the Buddha never spent more than two weeks in the jungle at one time in total isolation. Its about the determination to practice in lay life and the wisdom to find opportunities to do so, whenever it is presented- and doing so mindfully, when it is. This will stop the on-cushion, off-cushion jekyl and hyde transitions, at least!
There is no taming here for one fond of conceit,
Nor is there sagehood for the unconcentrated:
Though dwelling alone in the forest, heedless,
One cannot cross beyond the realm of Death.
SN 1.9
To turn it into a Buddhist item, they asked me to make a doodle on it!
