A political path to inner peace

Throughout our pilgrimage, we have heard about Guru Rinpoche, the most revered sage in Bhutanese society.  He is known as a second Buddha, and appears in every temple and home in the country.    On our second to last day, we climbed to Tiger's Nest, a monastery built into a cliff thousands of feet above Paro valley.  Guru Rinpoche meditated there in the 8th Century after  flying from Tibet on the back of Yeshe Tsogyal, whom he transformed into a flying tigress for the purpose of the trip.  Guru Rinpoche can do things like that.   On our last day in Bhutan, we met Guru Rinpoche's reincarnation.  The experience was beyond words.  At least not that I can find right now.  Atum gave us this Sufi practice in his honor: Deeply Rooted In the present moment Seeing with the clear open empty spacious mind Beyond doubt and fear Abiding in the luminous heart of equanimity The way unfolds before me Sitting in front of Guru Rinpoche's gard...

The group prepares for a major hike.  It will be an hour, straight up.  Our destination is Tango University for Buddhist Studies, one of two universities in the country. Atum asks us to walk in silence.  To reflect on the people who have led us to this point on our respective journeys. What have I not said to you?  I will say it now, on the side of this mountain, heart full of gratitude and gasping for breath. And then I will say this prayer for you. May the blessings of God rest upon you. May God's peace abide in you. May God's presence illuminate your soul. Now and forever more. Surrounded in utter silence except for the sound of my own breath, a bright whinny rings through the wet air.  On the cliff above, a beautiful horse stares directly at me.  I feel the energy flowing between us.  On this mountain, in this silence, if only for today, we are connected. We pilgrims arrive silently, one by one, at the gates of the Monastery.  Red...

Monday Back in Thimpu, we have a couple of luxurious hours off, so several of us go for a hike above town.  We start at a radio tower high above the village and soon are surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of prayer flags.  The air is magic.  Pure magic. The hike that follows is straight up.  We set off at a good clip, and I'm huffing 20 minutes in.  It feels amazing to back in the body after so much mind work. We arrive at an old stupa with moss and grass growing from all sides.  Then on to the monastery that sits on the peak of the mountain.  It is attended by a small group of monks.  We enter and climb stairs to a loft where a giant Buddha sits.  It was tiny and perfect.  Outside, two monks are conducting a ritual with subtle bells and drums. Endorphins run through my veins as I descend (ascend) into meditation.  It was sublime, and beloved. Monday Night--Atum Teaching Life is change, always changing.  Don't c...

Sunday: Punakha and Wangdue We visit the 3rd oldest dzong in the country.  It is ancient, not as well kept as the last two we visited, but every bit as holy. Overcoming a certain shyness, I approach Atum with a question that has followed me around the past 3 days.  How do I reconcile this place with my life?  I live in a political world, driven by ego and arrogance.  I don't want to be a person driven by ego.  But I love my work.  Where is the balance? Atum tells me the ego is important to maintain.  It is in fact a necessary tool in my line of work.  But I must ensure that it is in service of the greater good, as opposed to the "self."  We talk about the great political figures in history who have managed to "hold the center": Jesus, Mohammed, Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, even W.  He tells me I am in training as a spiritual warrior.  I smile.  I like that. I ask Atum about detachment in Buddhism.  Do I have to shirk...

Saturday Up early again, breakfast, and into the van for the three hour drive to the Pass.  Clouds and mist obstruct view of the Himalayas but create their own beauty.  Visit the dzong (temple) built by K4's eldest wife.  Very ornate, exquisite.  Murals tell the spiritual and royal history of the nation.  We learn the steps to a proper prostration.  First to the back of the temple, then to the Buddha. I clear my head, I clear my eyes, I clear my lips.  Forehead to the earth.  Three times each way.  In this, I open the chakra for the lessons of this place to flow in. Mom, Logs and I climb a hill next to the dzong and hang prayer flags for Tanner (born today!), Nate, Rafe, and all of our loved ones. Back on the road to Khuruthang.  Beautiful rice fields built into the sides of the mountains.  The town where we stop for lunch is just 8 or 9 years old.  It was moved here by the government to make room for the monks.  Hmm...

Friday morning Wake up at 5 and spend hours reading about the Buddha. After breakfast, leave for the Thimpu festival, the most beloved celebration of Buddhism in the country.  Everyone dressed up in Bhutan's version of Sunday's best. I am "harassed" by one of the festival clowns and his tool of shame--a phallus.  After a thoroughly embarrassing spectacle, he insists on getting my email address. And gives me his in return.  A new friend. Friday meeting with Atum (our teacher) When feeling anxious, relax into the present and trust the world. It is too easy to miss the experience of being here by trying to capture each moment.  We cannot grasp, because it is always changing. Notice which archetypal figures speak to me.  Each is a doorway to exploration. The quality of emptiness is this: where you have space, you have accommodation, and it is there that something of value can arise.  Think of the heart as having emptiness.  Like the empty bowl...

Four months have passed since my pilgrimage to Bhutan, and with each one, I slip further away from the inner source that I discovered in the company of Buddhist monks, my sangha, and hundreds of ancient Buddhas.  The silver threads of connection worn down by life in the real world; the center under seige by self-doubt and distraction.  I do not like this slipping. And so I return to my journal.  Or should I say, my journal returns to me.  I nearly forgot I had carried it with me those two weeks.  Thank goodness I did. *** September 16, 2010             Bhutan! Arise at 3:30am, feeling fully rested and excited. Board bus to airport, check-in at ticket-counter, realize I've left my iPhone at the hotel in downtown Bangkok.  Call hotel, recover phone (which they will keep until my return), eat breakfast, and board the plane--DrukAir, the only airline in the country.  Ascending into the sky, we fly under a rainbow. ...

So much to say on this topic, but for now I'll leave it to the Sufi Master... The wise man should keep the balance between love and power; he should keep the love in his nature ever increasing and expanding, and at the same time strengthen the will so that the heart may not easily be broken.                          Bowl of Saki, January 21, by Hazrat Inayat Khan Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan: Many seek protection from all hurting influences by building some wall around themselves. But the canopy over the earth is so high that a wall cannot be built high enough, and the only thing one can do is to live in the midst of all inharmonious influences, to strengthen his will power and to bear all things, yet keeping the fineness of character and a nobleness of manner together with an ever-living heart. To become cold with the coldness of the world is weakness, and to ...

The whole idea of life is to live freely; to look through space freely, having nothing to hide or conceal; allowing the light of truth to shine from within and the light of the sun without; light all around, no shadow of any kind hindering the light which is the soul of every being.   Bowl of Saki, January 4, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

As I mourn the loss of my grandfather, I found this reflection particularly beautiful ...  To deny the changeableness of life is like fancying a motionless sea, which can only exist in one's imagination.                         Bowl of Saki, December 6, by Hazrat Inayat Khan Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan: If one studied the transitory nature of life in the world, how changeable it is, and the constant craving of everyone for happiness, one would certainly endeavor at all costs to find something one could depend upon. Man placed in the midst of this ever-changing world yet appreciates and seeks for constancy somewhere. He does not know that he must develop the nature of constancy in himself; it is the nature of the soul to value that which is dependable. But is there anything in the world on which one can depend, which is above change and destruction? All that ...

In a city of concrete and cars, I walk far too few steps on the padded ground of fallen leaves.  Yesterday I went on a perfect fall adventure to the outskirts of Washington, where the trees are turning and the wine is flowing in Virginia's rolling countryside.  We hiked along a quiet river, ate fried chicken and cupcakes, drank wine, and discussed everything from the war on climate change to the merits (errr, demerits) of people who look curiously similar to one another.  I of course have opinions on both, but no need to go into those here. We were 16 friends in a forest with no agenda but to enjoy one another and the quiet energy of the natural world.  And of course to celebrate the birthdays of three particularly awesome ladies. As the woods and river refueled me, I was likewise cognizant of the transmission of easy joy emanating from our group.  Lacking a better term, it was pure goodness.  Goodness that runs deeps through the Being of each person, ...