Whatever your faith…whatever your journey. This is simply a slice of mine…
I’m looking out. I’m looking forward. I’m looking on.
I’m reflecting. I’m absorbing. I’m appreciating all the different nuances that have come together to fill this cup to the brim. A tapestry so tightly bound. I am peaceful in its glory for it is beyond measure.
I can’t believe there is another place on earth quite like Cape Town. It is utterly mesmerising.
It has so many layers and as you peel off each one by one you realise that you will never reach the kernel of truth as it is always changing, adapting, growing, finding a new form. Layer upon layer with no certain end, a place that also seems to come from a time that has no beginning. This mystique can enchant you forever more. Silent waters run deep.
It is within this backdrop that I was able to share something even deeper. As it is here that I have come to value friendships and relationships with people and take them to another level. There is so much to benefit from friends with whom we share history with, so much we can learn from each other if we choose to listen.
Before travelling I realised I needed to diversify in my business in order to grow. However I was looking for that happiness and success elsewhere. ‘Stick to what your good at’ came the voice in my ear. ‘Why don’t you do weddings?’ came the voice I didn’t want to hear. When I chose to peel back my inner onion I realised that this wasn’t so much based on my ability but rather on a personal blockage. It took the support of others to recognise and vocalise my indifference. Their genuine compassion & concern served as a catalyst to change that. This and realising my capability. Sometimes its the simplest things. Sometimes it’s simply not the time. This was my time.
When I woke the following morning I felt lighter. Motivated and thrilled at the prospect of meeting fellow Buddhists in my Buddhist organisation I set off with an airy confidence, a movement towards change.
There were many mystic connections. I met a Welsh lady who had grown up with the same hippy circles as myself in Wales. Here we were so far from home, here we all were, as always, in all our diversity, unearthing the truth. The moderator then read two pages from an old book written by our Sensei (teacher) that were so profound that I can only describe it as a life changer. For essentially it encapsulated the very karma that I had struggled with since my early twenties. I had come so close to giving up my practice of Buddhism. After ten years of practice my deepest concerns for life had been relieved and a new life was was taking form. I shared my experiences relating to this excerpt and all were taken by its relevance. It was Buddhism in action.
I took a walk back towards The Waterfront in Cape Town and musing over this and the relevance of what I had discussed the night before I walked over a bridge and noticed a crew of black rowers heaving and shouting from below. As they passed underneath, admiring their team spirit and strength I then noticed the name of their boat, it was the same as the title of the meeting I had just come from- ‘Karma’.
Later that day I chose to take certain action and approach a hotelier with my new found thoughts and ventures for my photography. This was met enthusiastically and in the reply came a quote from The Buddha- ‘If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path’.
Nam-myho-renge-kyo, Nam-myho-renge-kyo, respect.
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