Photo by Henrik Hjortshøj
With the holidays all but upon us and the end of the year / decade approaching this Monday we plan on having a seasonal sangha gathering where we get to enjoy a little more time than usual enjoying each other’s company. Rather than the usual two ‘sits’ and a walking meditation we will ‘sit’ just once and then spend time sharing food and dharma. With many folks headed out of town, and others having guests visiting we expect this to be a nice small group evening.
In terms of a dharma sharing I thought it might be fun to ponder on a favorite story shared by Thay:
One day the Buddha was sitting with his monks in the woods. They had just finished their mindful lunch and were about to start a question and answer session. A peasant passed by and asked the Buddha, “Dear monk, have you seen my cows passing by here?”
The Buddha said, “What cows?”
“My cows, six of them, I don’t know why but this morning they all ran away. I had also cultivated three acres of sesame seeds, but this year the insects ate them all. I think I am going to kill myself. I have lost everything!”
The Buddha said, “Dear friend, we have not seen your cows passing by here. You better look for them in the other direction.” After the farmer had gone, the Buddha looked at his monks and smiled and said, “My dear friends, do you know that you are lucky, you do not have any cows to lose.”
Today in one way or another many of us strive to possess ‘things’, and we think that these possessions are important in terms of happiness, safety etc. But if we look deeply, you’ll see that maybe what you possess are obstacles for your happiness. If you know how to let them go, to release your cow, happiness becomes possible. At this time of year when many of us both give and receive gifts it might be enjoyable to share what are some of the ‘cows’ we might look release in the coming year.
In terms of sharing some tea and snacks I thought that those who are able to might bring along some vegan treats for sharing – fruit, snacks, cookies or anything else you think the sangha might enjoy. If you do not have time to pick anything up, no problem as there will be plenty to share.
Happy holidays
Andy