Welcome to my Blog. I'm a practising member of SGI-UK a lay buddhist organisation practising the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. It is often described as a practise of Active Humanism which I think reflects it perfectly. The basic practise is the chanting of 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' on a daily basis and putting the practise into use in our daily lives thereby making this a practical rather than esoteric form of Buddhism. For more information, please follow the Buddhist links on the right of this page


“Prayer is the courage to persevere. It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness and lack of confidence in ourselves. It is the act of impressing in the very depths of our being the conviction that we can change the situation without fail. Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It is the revolution that rewrites the scenario of our destiny... Believe in yourself! Don't sell yourself short! Devaluing yourself is contrary to Buddhism, because it denigrates the Buddha state of being within you.”.
Daisaku Ikeda.

Yesterday was a surprise

Because it was actually fairly warm and Sunny ... but pissing it down again today .. great huh !

Started to write again yesterday for the first time in ages. I've been asking people on a web designers forum to post some pics and then writing a short story inspired by them. Just need to type it up now and maybe set up a new blog for it .. or maybe even create a 'proper' site ... haven't decided yet.

Had to smile this morning .. Read the Guidance for today which says:

In Buddhism, we either win or lose-there is no middle ground. Now and in the future, let us advance, determined to win in every sphere of our lives. By winning in our lives, we are advancing kosen-rufu; and by advancing kosen-rufu, we win in our lives.

But then I opened up the new issue of the Art of Living (monthly Buddhist Mag) which came this morning and saw the following cartoon .. which is soooo me :-)





















Ok .. I've typed up the short story now and have posted it below. I've already done a paragraph for part 2 so it looks like it might be an ongoing one ... watch this space :-)

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Kate (pt 1)

Kate looked at the kitchen clock again. It certainly wasn’t unusual for him to be late. The first ten years or so of their marriage had been more or less what she had hoped for; loving, secure and with a sense of order. But, since Paul had decided to give up his job as a stockbroker and get out of the rat race, things hadn’t been the same for her. Sure, she had supported his decision, partly as she could see that the stress of work was beginning to affect his health, but also, she was, after all, his wife wasn’t she!

Initially, she had been happy to move from their London home with all the noise and social problems that city life brings and she had instantly fallen in love with the beautiful cottage in this rural part of Cornwall and loved the proximity of the sea and the fresh air it offered.

She looked at the clock again. This wasn’t like him she thought. It wasn’t unusual for him to be late. Since their move, he had certainly become more relaxed about his time keeping and she was happy to go along with that to an extent, but he was never late on the nights that they drove to Newquay to visit their favourite restaurant.

She put on her coat. The sea mist was starting to roll in as she locked the door behind her and started to walk to the Quay side. She figured that his Parish Council meeting must have finished by now, and, on kissing her goodbye when he left, he had said that he might go to the Quay to do a spot of fishing, something he had begun to spend more and more time doing.

The walk seemed particularly lonely this evening; it was far from unusual not to see anyone on this narrow pathway. Occasionally, maybe a couple of ramblers, but the locals were more likely to drive into the town.

As she approached his usual spot, she could see his tackle box on the edge of the Quay. Increasing her pace, her heart beating faster. Only in her wildest fears had she not expected him to be here. With an air of panic, she looked around, hoping perhaps, that he might be behind her trying to surprise her, or maybe there was a pub or a shop nearby where he might have gone. Yes, perhaps that was it – maybe he had gone for a quick pint and was on his way home right now with his catch. She fumbled in her pocket for her mobile phone and rang home but there was no reply .. and no local pub or shop either!

An uneasy calm washed over her as she sat on the damp quayside, her legs dangling as she looked out to sea, the waves lapping softly against the Quay walls, as, with an air of resignation, she took out her mobile again and dialled the number of the local Coast Guard.

2 comments:

Sibri said...

Great Pick.... and SOOO me too!

Sibri said...

ooops I meant PIC