tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30545783164990039862024-03-14T09:15:12.482+01:00Walking the Diamond Way of Buddhismllenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-37784233618899731032011-08-28T20:03:00.000+02:002011-08-28T20:03:22.108+02:00Emptiness is form<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMdMkMaIkxM/TlqBt1WSQvI/AAAAAAAABGU/I6EmYOUoHcI/s1600/blank-page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="89" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMdMkMaIkxM/TlqBt1WSQvI/AAAAAAAABGU/I6EmYOUoHcI/s200/blank-page.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>(I haven't finished reporting the Stupa Trip 2010 yet, but I wanted to share something with you before I continue copying my trip notes in here. May I?)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As Buddha said, "emptiness is form, form is emptiness, form and emptines are inseparable". What did he mean with that? Most of people would think of emptiness as lack of something, the void, the vacuum. However, as Buddha taught his pupils, where there is emptiness there is also limitless possibilities. I am strongly experiencing how right he was.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I came back from England, I have been describing my situation in terms of negative aspects: "I don't have a job. I don't have a home. I don't have a partner. I don't have money. I don't know what will I be doing in a couple of months...". Of course it teaches me about <a href="http://walking-diamond-way.blogspot.com/2011/08/refuge-just-what-i-was-looking-for.html" target="_blank">refuge</a>: all these things we use to rely on (job, home, love) are not there anymore, thus I need to hold on to something, but what? My mind, no doubt, and meditation is the fastest way I know of getting to know it, to know myself. But somehow I was not still feeling completely convinced about how good my situation was.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Then I went to Tenovice, in the Czech Republic, to do my first Phowa. And it was more than inspiring. Back to Barcelona I realised how wrong I had been, how blinded by stiff ideas and thick veils I was. I have in front of me limitless possibilities, and I must be open to them all, because whatever comes will be for good.<br />
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</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-17893658035840814452011-08-03T17:24:00.000+02:002011-08-03T17:24:58.948+02:00Stupas trip: August 2010. My road notes. Phase 4: Albania and Montenegro(3 days of insane driving)<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Life is like an Albanian motor road. That's the thought I had while driving at night in a motor road under construction. I didn't know if I was in the road I was supposed to be. Sometimes, I wasn't sure to have chosen correctly; surprises, unexpected obstacles that make me aware and enjoying the trip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We sleep in a bed for one night, a real bed! Lorenc's family cares after us: nice breakfast, gorgeous lunch, all our cloths are clean and dry, ready to hit the road again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The road to Montenegro is better. The camping by the sea is just... perfect. Can we stay here forever?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">La dolce vita! Sweet like the rakia that we drink at night, under the moon, by the sea. Sweet like those kisses that drive us to heaven. Sweet like a nap under a tree.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-47617908554875925992011-08-03T17:18:00.000+02:002011-08-03T17:18:38.703+02:00Stupas trip: August 2010. My road notes. Phase 3: Karma Berchen Ling (stupa inauguration)(6 days in Greece)<br />
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<b>19th August</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">A lost beach. Sun and breeze just for us. The sea is huge, clean, like no other. Some children laugh. Freedom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beach and sun. There's no tomorrow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sleeping under a waxing moon and an ocean of stars. There's nothing between my eyes and the infinite. Nothing but me and the murmur of the water.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Passionate kissing at midnight. Kisses lost in my dreams. They will be forgotten tomorrow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>21st-24th August</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">OM AH HUM HOH HAM KSHAH</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Impressions: full moon over a recenlty blessed stupa. The sound of the gravel under my feet, the sound of my voice reciting mantras: I hope they help me to get rid of all these disturbing emotions... Breath. Recite. Walk. The wind cleans my thoughts. The moon fills me with light. Walk. Recite. Breath. Every step I take brings me back the control of my feelings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-36124978703729090342011-08-03T17:07:00.000+02:002011-08-03T17:07:29.227+02:00Stupas trip: August 2010. My road notes. Phase 2: Venice-Patra(30 hours in a ferry)<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The wind slaps my face. The vibrations of the ferry remind me of the rhythm of love... Love?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Freedom tastes and smells.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The horizon. The sea. The sky. Nothing else in my eyes. Thoughts stop. Only the slow sailing of another ferry makes me realize I'm moving. The wind tangles my hair. The wind wakes me up. Love is in the air, but it doesn't dare to touch me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Love has forgotten me, long ago. I've been waiting for it for long now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The shadow of a seagull. Laughs. Three white clouds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I close my eyes. Nothing. No thing. Nothing else than me. Now. Here. I breath.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The quickest 30 hours in my life: I can't remember half of them... (too much vodka, and wine, and... ouch!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am sorry!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-79064570867180859682011-08-02T13:09:00.003+02:002011-08-02T13:18:03.103+02:00Stupas trip: August 2010. My road notes. Phase 1: Barcelona-Venice(1,364 km in 19 hours)<br />
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<b>16th August</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Stress, anxiety... and lots of good vibrations: waking up has been easy this Monday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ana and me packed and got ready to leave Lavern at 9am. Off to the airport to pick up Szymon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Flight delayed (as usual). In front of my chest, a paper with a huge heart and his name. Let's get started!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Motor roads in France are fast. Like birds moving from continent to continent, we fly crossing borders and feeling the freedom in our hands.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The fourth passenger contacts us and he arranges the first night in Venice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We get lost: works on the roads, unexpected roundabouts... the SatNav goes crazy. And we are still in Europe!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here we are: 4.20am. Lorenc receives us in the bungalow (well, he receives Ana basically...). Let the birdies catch up. Szymon and me will inaugurate the trip with an awesome homemade red wine. To the Lama!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>17th August</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Good morning, Venice! Today the city is waiting for us. Is hard to get our bodies moving: we slept less than 5 hours after driving for 15. Chill out day, gorgeous weather.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's always a surprise to travel with someone. Do we really know each other? Do we really know ourselves?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Singing, laughing, hugging, jumping. If life is a trip, I want it to be like this one!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>18th August</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Vino, vi, vin, wine... We close a perfect day with a sunset by the canal: sandwich, Chianti, breeze, the smell of the sea. The perfect combination to feel that I'm free, young, complete.</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-20270022862827936722011-08-02T12:55:00.001+02:002011-08-02T13:11:38.131+02:00Stupas trip: August 2010. My road notes. Pre-phase (the planning, or how did I get involved in such a crazy adventure)<div style="text-align: justify;">"Pick me! Pick me!" This is me. For good or bad, I usually offer myself for anything; impulsive hotblooded Southern woman. You can call me Raquel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Szymon's plans to go to Xylokastro, Becske and Graz changed unexpectedly, and I was there, and I had a car, and I'm crazy enough to join him... So there we go: leaving in the morning of the 16th of August, straight to Venice from BCN airport: Ana, Szymon and me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Whatever will be, will be...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-47008129098281970162011-08-02T12:30:00.001+02:002011-08-02T13:11:52.951+02:00Stupas trip: August 2010. My road notes. Epilogue (who says we can't start by the end?)<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eaw47f8nSAA/TjfU-Dx3NvI/AAAAAAAABFA/jlzFVQsqjG0/s1600/road+trip+notebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eaw47f8nSAA/TjfU-Dx3NvI/AAAAAAAABFA/jlzFVQsqjG0/s200/road+trip+notebook.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>The planning of this road trip has been in our heads for so long (someone's head longer than others') that I feel as if I'd already done it...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"And they were friends ever after..." could be the ending of this notebook. There's 4 of us here, starting a new adventure: Szymon, Ana, Lorenc and myself. Will we be able to spend 2 weeks and a half together and come back in one piece? Two weeks and a half are a lot of days, of hours, of minutes... :S</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's breath in, breath out, and enjoy the moment in between.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054578316499003986.post-62801024111255869742011-08-01T13:32:00.001+02:002011-08-02T12:49:38.159+02:00Refuge: just what I was looking for<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-raYSQbOxrm4/TjaKv7wpcfI/AAAAAAAABEA/NHyvJGC3ikI/s1600/DSCF1179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-raYSQbOxrm4/TjaKv7wpcfI/AAAAAAAABEA/NHyvJGC3ikI/s200/DSCF1179.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lama Ole, Brighton (Sept. 2010)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I guess I'm not the only one: we all reject what hurts and look for things that make us feel good; most of us, however, look in the wrong place. I have always been a nomad: can't stay in a place, job, relationship... for more than a couple of years, thus I've learned about impermanence since I was very young. And still, I wanted to believe that there must be <i>something</i> out there that can last, that won't vanish. But, what? And where to start looking for it?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The answer came when I met Buddhism in 2009 in England. I was there studying a Masters, and I got to know some nice people who were actively practising Buddhism, in the Diamond Way school of it. The feeling during and after meditating with them was so great that I decided to go further. I read, I started practising myself, I joined them for the group meditations... And there I was few months later, the 17th of June 2010, taking Refuge in a pub in London, with Lama Ole and a bunch of enthousiastic people vibrating together with the sound of the mantras.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I knew I had found what I had been looking for.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>llenguaddictahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491701713658707650noreply@blogger.com0