Daily views ??
Presented my paper "Uprooting the Attachment to Self and Exploring Nonattachment in Interpersonal Relationships" yesterday at the Third Annual Student Symposium at DRBU (and also was a junior photojournalist)! ? I wrote this paper at a time when I was really wrestling with strong and complicated attachment to someone. In following the teaching of opposites, I began to look for what a nonattached relationship would look like. In the last photo of this set, I've included two people who inspired me in my quest, Eric and Brenda. I was really touched to see that people who had recently lost spouses come up to me, moved by what I had written for myself. ? PC: Xiaojuan Shu and Stan Shoptaugh
? Early bloomer ? Budding life ? 全家 (Entire family) and a picturesque lemon ?
I'm going to cautiously guess that these are cherry blossoms! ? And a surprise daffodil growing out of the asphalt. ?
I learned the melody to a poem in Classical Chinese IV that I wanted to share to the best of my capability (I am not a great singer, and I may messed up a little. I also wrote a character incorrectly ?) The approximate English translation (with the help of my professor and classmates): < The Ugly Servant Child > Southern Song Dynasty, By: Xin Qi Ji When I was young, I did not know the taste of sorrow, always aspiring to go higher and higher. Going higher and higher, I would immerse myself in sorrow in order to write new poems. Now I know the taste of sorrow completely, yet try to speak of it and can't. Unable to speak of it, I instead say, "My, what a fine autumn day!"
? Cheers to Floridian winter ? I thought about taking this first photo for a really long time. This past semester at DRBU I realized that a relaxed open palm is a simple symbol of everything that I am working toward in my journey of bettering myself. An open palm is a gesture of strength, sincerity, trustworthiness, patience, open-mindedness, willingness, flexibility, softness. Fundamentally, it is a gentle reminder to let go of all that I was once always attached to. To let it be and let go. To return to peace that was never missing in the first place. With this discovery, I have found that I am able to see the beauty in every situation I experience, the beauty in every person. "Beauty" as in "a valuable lesson learned." Why the word beauty? Because it is something worth looking at and cherishing. Please also see some guests in my backyard: a sunbathing anhinga and a wading great blue heron
?????? We had a really early holiday/end of semester party yesterday ? I don't think I'd ever go out of my way to host my own parties, but this is probably what I'd be doing if that was the case. ?: Stan Shoptaugh, of course
Tuesday morning mist ??
I already knew I was almost over 30 minutes late to my daily (Monday through Thursday) meditation and recitation of the Shurangama mantra yet instead of succumbing to giving up entirely, I decided to go meditate, even if only for a little bit, and recite because I always found that I wake up pretty decently from it. When I walked outside, I saw a slice of the sky and was stunned by the perfect, crisp crescent moon and the pink clouds that spread over the sky. I stopped for a second and admired it, then continued my way to the university building. Before entering, I wished to share this beauty so I quickly snapped a photo and headed inside. I usually meditate and recite with my friend and the nun who lead us, yet when I got there, the Chan hall was totally empty except for the nun, Jin Jung Shi. She had been meditating in the hall all by herself, even if there was no one to guide. I felt moved that she was there, even if it meant that she could have been waiting even if no one showed up. Afterwards, I thanked her for staying. In class we heard a story where Master Hua would give lectures and teach as if he was teaching to thousands of people even if only a few people were there--even if no one else showed up. It instantly brought me to tears. This photo is the beauty of this place, and these two brief stories are the beauty of integrity, sincerity, and heart. My goodness... what a beautiful day.
中秋节快乐 - Happy Midautumn Festival. There are some bonus sunset photos and videos of the peacocks' evening routine. They all climb on that roof and take turns flying into the tree, like planes on a runway. ? I realized that the focus of my Midautumns now have become to take photos of the moon. For a while now, I've silently emphasized trying to get the sharpest photo of the moon I can (which is not what I did this year), and in doing so, missing everything around it. While I was taking this first photo, I sat on the sidewalk with my mini tripod listening to the crickets. Later, I realized I didn't even call my family. I think... next year I'll just focus on enjoying the brilliant moon, not capturing it to look back on. Today has been a rough day, for I realized that my memories of a certain person is still fresh. Our first real interactions revolved around this very holiday exactly a year ago. After I finished my meetings for today I took the rest of the day to write and to be alone. Some days that's just what I feel is suitable. I'll leave this blue post with a famous poem: 静夜思 床前明月光 疑是地上霜 举头望明月 低头思故乡 - 李白•唐
Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS)
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