Walden Cabin: Observations typed on an old Underwood

Buying Inner Peace Not an Option

Had a great chat with a Buddhist monk last week. On an impulse, I visited the temple just around the corner from my house. The building was festooned with colourful striped flags and Christmas lights, and was buzzing with people. I went in, just as a funeral was getting started.

The group embraced me and made me sit at the front -- two hours cross-legged on a thin cushion on the floor. I realized about half-way through just how far from enlightenment I am, all unstretched and achy. I need to do more sun salutations. After the service (which alternated between sermons in Sri Lankan and repetitive chanting) a thin monk in saffron robes gestured me forward. "You must watch your breath, feel it in your nose, and let go. Just let go, Mr. Stuart."

The experience has inspired me to expand my horizons. The monk said I should consider joining the weekly meditation session at the monastery. I asked for a brochure and how much it costs. He looked at me as if I were mad. I guess schedules and fees don't fit with the Buddhist approach to enlightenment!

When I got home, I did a quick on-line search and have concluded that my next writing/research trip should be to Bhutan. But I'm not holding my breath. Discover mysterious and sacred Bhutan here.

stuart@accolade.ca



	Buying Inner Peace Not an Option Had a great chat with a Buddhist monk last week. On an impulse, I visited the temple just around the corner from my house. The building was festooned with colourful striped flags and Christmas lights, and was buzzing with people. I went in, just as a funeral was getting started. The group embraced me and made me sit at the front -- two hours cross-legged on a thin cushion on the floor. I realized about half-way through just how far from enlightenment I am, all unstretched and achy. I need to do more sun salutations. After the service (which alternated between sermons in Sri Lankan and repetitive chanting) a thin monk in saffron robes gestured me forward. "You must watch your breath, feel it in your nose, and let go. Just let go, Mr. Stuart." The experience has inspired me to expand my horizons. The monk said I should consider joining the weekly meditation session at the monastery. I asked for a brochure and how much it costs. He looked at me as if I were mad. I guess schedules and fees don't fit with the Buddhist approach to enlightenment! When I got home, I did a quick on-line search and have concluded that my next writing/research trip should be to Bhutan. But I'm not holding my breath. Discover mysterious and sacred Bhutan here. stuart@accolade.ca				Head for the Hills of Prince Edward Island Walden Cabin >> "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to front the essential facts of life and to see if I could learn what they had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden; Or Life in the Woods (08.21) Walden Cabin is a publishing creation of Accolade Intermedia, an Ottawa-based communications company that specializes in content-rich Web products. www.accolade.ca >>
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