Bad Karma

Dear you,

I am slowly working my way through Guided Buddhist Meditations, Essential Practices on the Stages of the Path, by Thubten Chodron, and fascinated by the teachings. My hopes here, as in all study, is to grow, not just find another escapist panacea.  As I continue my bumpy ride here in Panhandle world, Chodron's teachings are difficult to apply.  And that is the challenge!  Me versus people I don't like. Quote Chodron:  " We like to think we're broad-minded, caring people and realizing anything contrary to that may be difficult.  Our self-centered attitude prefers to think 'I'm a really good person.  I'm unhappy because the rest of the world is ignorant and hostile."  Well, that hits a mark.

While I am a long, long way from "the path", I am enjoying the lessons, the philosophy, the discipline of attempting meditations and mantras.  The only talent I bring to this study is breathing, for real, I love the lift of inhale-exhale.  Other than that, I am quite the novice.  However, as Chodron advises, I need not rush or expect something that takes a lifetime (or several) to master. Those lifetime-cycles are determined by our karma (actions done by our body, speech, or mind).  Yikes. Well, I'll just keep trying and "be brave and honestly acknowledge what is going on" in my mind.

Okay. This is what's going on in my mind now, some bad karma thoughts. I imagine the forms my "enemies" might take their next time around:

1.  Trump and his sons will return as Pez dispensers.

2.  Annoying Seagrove Beach vacationers will return as dental floss.

3.  Florida governor DeSantis will return as a feather boa; he shall be dragged for eternity across the floors of the finest drag show stages in Orlando.

4.  The angry MAGA Publix cashier lady will return as a checkout conveyor belt.

5.  The far-right censors and enemies of art will return as Dr. Scholl's shoe inserts.

I know, reincarnation/recycling doesn't involve taking the forms of inanimate objects.  But it gives me a little Buddha smile to imagine this happening.   Which means I am not only a long, long way from "the path", but probably a thousand life cycles away from knowing where it is.  I need a spiritual GPS. Poetry always helps, so I re-read/re-study Joy Harjo.

Her collection How We Became Human, uses the words of Nizzar Kabbani as an epigraph:

What kind of nation is this

Deleting love from its curriculum

The art of poetry

The mystery of women's eyes

What kind of nation is this

Battling each rain cloud . . .

Beautiful questions. Instructive, honest, not a drop of negativity there.  Impeccable words and clean karma.

Something to aim for.

Joyce