Certain behaviors of others bug me — let me count the ways! Whether it’s people’s shoes I straighten out at the entry to the meditation room, bathroom lights left on by a friend who visits my home, or the paper pizza plates dropped on the street by passing high school student … occasions for getting annoyed abound.
Yesterday, while watching a YouTube interview with the head monk at a Japanese Zen temple, a light went on for me. Reflecting on the steady stream of Western students who come to his monastery, he spoke of the repeated effort of explaining the basics of meditation, again and again. “And so I remind myself that students are a reflection of my practice … they are a mirror to me … they are my teachers.”
With that in mind, I’ll continue to straighten shoes if that’s important to me; left-on bathroom lights are easily turned off, and picking up after others allows me serve my neighbourhood. Anything else, as they say, is added on, unnecessary. It solves nothing and poisons my view of the world around me.
Peter,
Absolutely (as alsways) a propos. I’ve just read your post to my sister, as a similar topic is what we had been discussing all day as we drove north from TO to execute an undesired duty. I’ll give you the amusing details later.
Arnie
Thank you Peter. A great reminder to see the Buddha in everyone and everything.
And I love your Rumi quote at the top of the page. “Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious.” Fantastic!