practicing pure perception

Lama Surya Das (whose mother often refers to as 'the Deli Lama') is discussing Dharma in a chapter called 'Seeing the Buddha in All: The Practice of Pure Perception.' This morning I got to practice seeing the Buddha in E's swollen tonsils, and in the kitty puke on the wood floor.

On my way to Greenlife for lemons and vitamin C I was doing alright, until a little white-haired old lady pulled out in front of me going 20 mph. I couldn't do it.

The question is how far can any of us extend ourselves toward including one and all in our unconditional loving hearts? Can we love and respect even those whose actions or personalities we don't happen to like?

The dialog in my head was going like this:

Me: Hel-OO! We're on the street now!
Her: You must learn to slow down, and I'm here to remind you.
Me: I don't give a rat's ass. I'm on a mission here. Step on it.
Her: Lala-lala-laa, I don't notice you in the rearview mirror tailing me.
Me: I've got two puking cats and a sick boyfriend and I'm not in the mood.

etc., etc., etc.

Sigh. Practice. Comes from the Greek word, praktikos "practical." The Dharma is practical.

What are you reading?

I hate reading online. However, I admit I do it more and more. I'm into speed reading blog posts the way you might scarf popcorn during a movie. And since discovering Mr K's Used Books, which is five minutes from home, I'm getting into real books again.

Books I've started over the past month or so include Awakening the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das; Grace and Grit, The Marriage of Sense and Soul, by Ken Wilber, and Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

Moby Dick was recommended during college, but since no teacher ever actually assigned it I never bothered. Melville's character sketches are odd and funny, and yeah, I know, it's a boy's book. We've just left Boston Harbor and there have already been fart jokes.

our earthship in Taos

View the flickr slideshow of the earthship project. E and I built a house in the desert outside Taos. We hired a crew for the shell, and built all the walls, ceilings and floors ourselves. We worked almost every day for three years. With the electrical systems, the interior gardens and solar pumps, this project was like creating an interactive sculpture the size of a whale. Dwelling in it was more like living in a ship on the ocean than in a house, because of the weather's immediate influence on our comfort. Rain, sun, snow, wind and clouds become intimate partners when you live in a solar-powered, rainwater-catching home.

Artemis

When artist and writer Nancy Blair was writing Goddesses for Every Season, she invited me to contribute three illustrations. The book came out in 1995, published by Element Books in Rockport, Maine. I was experimenting with a carving medium called Quick Cut, and the goddesses were all created in the space of a few days.

papier-mache mermaid

E and I created this little ocean-girl together while waiting for the permit to begin building our earthship. You can tell, because we each made one of her arms and they're different from each other. She stands about three feet tall and is mostly papier-mache, finished with metal paints. She's got a PVC core filled halfway up with cement, to lend her ballast on the open sea. The rock was shaped out of wire and stuffed with newspaper, then layered with paper.

crocheted flower skirt

Yes, you do have to wear a slip with it! I had problems finding a slip to go under this skirt when I wore it to a dear friend's wedding. I did eventually find one in a vintage store, but even Victoria's Secret wasn't carrying slips at the time.

Crochet and knitting go well with writing, but 'tis pity you can't do them at the same time. I made this skirt while writing a book about a small business start-up. I would bribe myself with promises of picking up the skirt, which sat in a pile at my side, where I had to keep defending it from the cats. I'd finish a paragraph, do a row, write another paragraph, do another row, and so forth.

pears downstairs

While E and our friend Jonathan were recording tracks upstairs in the earthship, I was overcome with appreciation for these curvaceous beauties sitting on the kitchen counter, just minding their own beeswax. Are pears a reason to believe in a higher power? I think so.