Oil Pastels and the Sangha

      I ended up not going to the Tibetan Buddhist temple.  I decided that I didn't want to have to start over -- meeting new people, getting used to a new type of spiritual practice and maybe getting involved too deeply with an organization.
      So, I decided to let things be.
      Instead, I signed up for an oil pastel class.  I had really liked oil pastels when I had used them, years ago, in high school.  It was drawing and painting at the same time, and I had made a portrait of a classmate that I remember vividly.  (Why didn't I save it? Did I give it to him?)  My boyfriend was supportive, too, so I thought I should go ahead with it.

Tom with my portait of him.

       I really enjoyed the class and the teacher.  I'm now geared up to produce some more artwork.  (The picture above was made with oil pastels and color pencils -- my first large work in many years.)
       Along with the class, something interesting happened.  My teacher, Carol, mentioned that she had attended a "sangha" (Buddhist group) in Long Beach, Washington.  "Really?" I said.  "Did you have many attendees?  I just can't imagine a Buddhist group in Long Beach, of all places!" I chuckled. "Yes, it was established by my husband and it's still going. We're starting a little sangha here."  I was all ears by then, believe me!   "A sangha here? "  "Would you like to come?," she asked.  Would I! 
        So I went to the little sangha and found that it was perfect, just what I wanted.  It's a small group, no bricks and mortar, no tithes, no massive organization.  We practice meditation and then discuss various Buddhist ideas.  I presented a talk on "right livelihood" myself a couple of weeks ago.   It's deep, Buddhism, and I have seen positive changes in myself, and a much more sustained meditation practice at home, since I have attended the group.  And since this is a Theraveda sangha, there is no frippery or pie-in-the-sky nonsense you have to plow through.  It's all about you polishing your soul.
         I can only thank all-seeing Providence for this! 
       

Seeker Nation

Since I left my church I have been trying to figure out what might be next in my spiritual life. I think I might now be closer to finding something else that could work.
During the last two weeks I've been down with bronchitis, and so I've had to stay put at home.  A friend gives me magazines, some of which have to do with Eastern religious traditions.  Usually I just give away the Buddhist magazines, but because I had the spare time I decided to read them.  The magazines were "Tricycle" and "Shambala Sun."  It used to be that Buddhism didn't interest me at all.  I thought I needed "bhakti," a passionate surrender, to God.  Now that I'm older I don't seem to have that fire.  I'd rather do the work of becoming closer to God by myself, actually!   Buddhist tradition focuses on serious spiritual practice, something that was missing in my church.  I want to refine my soul, and Buddhism has some good tools for that, definitely!
Since I live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, which is not known for being very advanced culturally (Portland wags have dubbed the area "Clarktucky"),  I wasn't surprised that there were no Buddhist centers here.  Next week I am going to go to a newcomer group at a Tibetan Buddhist center over in north Portland, not too far from me.  I am hopeful and excited about this new adventure.
Wish me luck as I explore the "Dharma."

The Chances of Gaining Enlightenment While You're Getting Older - BAD?

     When I was studying with Swamiji he said that to achieve enlightenment was only possible for a person who was younger than fifty.  I was rather affronted by this pronouncement.   "Does that mean that older people have no hope for enlightenment?  It seems wrong.  Surely an elderly person has a chance."
      Well, I have had to go back to Swamiji's statement in the years since I turned fifty and re-examine it carefully.  Human beings, in ancient days, did not live long;  our body is designed to work at its highest capacity until our forties.  Someone who lived beyond forty was extraordinarily healthy and lucky back then.  
       Now we live much longer lives than our forebears.   But, truth be told, when one hits fifty the process of decay truly begins.  The mind doesn't work as quickly, one's limbs don't obey as readily as they once did.  Little aches and pains come and go in various parts of the body, or sometimes they hang on and become chronic.  Fatigue sets in faster than in earlier times.  Sitting on a meditation pillow for a length of time can produce legs that fall asleep and sometimes cause the meditator to sleep too! 
     So, it seems that Swamiji was right after all.  An person older than forty has a hard time dealing with the rigors which spiritual practice demands. 
     Yet I still have my reservations about Swamiji's observation.  I think there are ways to come closer to God even with an aging, deteriorating body.
      Things that are done within, such as prayer and less strenuous forms of meditation, such as Lectio Divina  (I hope I spelled that right!) -- that is, when one reads a Bible verse or some other spiritual text and meditates on it --  are powerful tools.  Taking time away from people and the demands of life, i.e. practicing a real Sabbath, is an amazingly rewarding method of spiritual renewal.  A Sabbath should be without T.V., computer, chatting on the phone, spending money and various other daily distractions.  Focusing on spiritual reading, staying at home or taking a walk and meditating and praying during a Sabbath, and doing the Sabbath practice consistently, once a week, is very beneficial.  The Jews have it right -- if done seriously a Sabbath is a great method to get closer to the Creator of All Things.
       There is still hope for enlightenment at an advanced age.  The spiritual practices of the inner way, even though they may seem humble, are a good fit for those over fifty.