7 Nov 20. Sadness. Devotion. Nembutsu.

I have always been plagued by a feeling of sadness. Not so much now in my thirties as I was in my teens and twenties. Now, having a family and a job, I simply don't have time for it. And that's the point - when I look at my sadness, I realise how selfish it …

19.02.20. Funeral.

Monday. The funeral of my friend's father. I didn't know the gentleman. I attended because I knew his son. After the mass, I drove a few people from the church to the cemetery. When we were approaching the cemetery, an older Polish lady who was with us said: "We are born with nothing. We die …

4.02.20. Nembutsu.

My mornings are often filled with negative self-talk and nerves-wrecking inner-chatter. I have decided to dive into the Nembutsu practice headfirst and abandon any efforts to reconcile it with my rational mind. Not because I think that Nembutsu would not pass the scrutiny of my rational mind but because there is nothing rational about my …

28 Jan 20.

During the past two months, I wasn’t faithful to my resolution to live in complete detachment from Dharma (God, I can’t even do that right!). I would open this or that book randomly from time to time. Especially the “Dhammapada” and “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones”. I came across the two passages in the latter - …

27 Jan 20.

After two months since I foolishly detached myself from Buddhism, I am now ready to summarise that period of my life with scientific precision: bleurgh.

10 Dec 19. Nembutsu.

I like getting up in the morning. Because of: my family, dog, books, music, gym, food, meditation, running, coffee, guitar and swimming. I hate getting up in the morning. Because of the anxious thoughts that torment me as soon as I open my eyes. Here is the drill. First, my mind displays a vision of …

24 Jul 19. Annica on steroids.

Every year I visit my hometown in Poland. Being there only once a year gives me a unique opportunity to observe impermanence in action: how people and places change, getting older by a year in a split second when my ghostly memory is confronted by its ghostly apparition. A few days ago, while in Poland, …

18 Apr.

I have memorised almost the whole “Faith in Mind” already. I learn and recite more or less all the time. My wife got used to it. I recite even when I walk my dog. My dog got used to it. Weather in Ireland is horrible. There I am walking among spasmodic tree branches and trembling …

29 Mar.

I like walking my dog beacuse I like walking. And I like my dog. My dog is the happiest creature I have ever met (except for my daughter - up to the age of 4) even though he doesn't even own a pair of pants. I enjoy our walks also because I can be alone …

The End Draws Near — Great Middle Way

I have never shared any WordPress post on this blog before. Below quote summarises everything I appreciate about Pure Land Buddhism. And it arrived exactly when I needed it. And I needed it badly.  My mind relies on nothing, so when night falls, I simply stop. My body lives nowhere, so at the break of …