playing with buddha

these days i have been taking life all too seriously. a common mistake that we all do at one time or another. way too often.  i realized this during morning meditation when i opened my eyes and saw one of my many laughing buddhas nestled in the embrace of some midwinter twigs behind the sofa. i have many buddhas about the house and yard. many of them serene and calm. but also a great many of them laughing at all they see. enjoying the feast of life. without worries. even the serene and calm buddhas seem to have a quiet smile. hinting at hidden laughter.

amongst them all, a large laughing buddha out in my garden is my favorite. he laughs when the sun beats hard upon his brow.  he laughs when the rain pours thickly across his bare head.  he laughs when encased in snow and ice. he knows that all is happening as it should. true to its pure clear nature. i am quite certain he would laugh just as loud were someone to steal him away in the night or were the dog to shower him with the leavings of her water dish after having drunk deeply from its cool depths!

he doesn't attempt to control the chaos around him. rather, he listens and moves serenely within the chaos as the universe unfolds around him. he is always open to a constant flow of joyous life. he reminds us that we can't get rid of chaos. but we can be quite creative with the turmoil therein. he points out that we are the creators of how we see our world.

i was. am. humbled. the ache and dis-ease flowed from my clenched shoulders and i found a smile returning to my face.

today, i stitched for a few hours on the buddha cloth. finished the applique of the buddha himself and began embroidering the mind flowers that surround him.

there is much to do still to the buddha cloth. and the embroidering is slow. mindful. mind full. contemplative. and i am re-finding balance and serenity in so doing.

i am once again finding my stride...

namaste'