The Funky Buddha

Today Wondy Mum™ and I had to attend a funeral for one of her friends. It was pretty sad, her friend had been sick for some time but it was still unexpected.

I feel so sad for the daughters. Michelle, the eldest, was in my year at school and we used to be close as kids, I used to spend a lot of time in their home playing with our Barbies.

But, although I felt pretty shitty for the family, throughout the entire ceremony I couldn’t help my mind wandering. Does anyone else often imagine entire dance montages in their minds, a lá Fame?

You know even as the coffin was being carried down the aisle, I couldn’t help wondering what I would do if the pallbearers broke into their own innovative dance sequence and all the guests spilled out to join in. Am I wrong in the head?

Sometimes the weirdest thoughts burst forth from the birthday cake of my mind; perhaps I shouldn’t even say them out loud.

Perhaps you should scrub the last thing I just told you…

I also decided today (with conviction) that I am ready to start practising Buddhism. I sat in that pew listening to the Vicar talking about Sue and I just can’t have that when I die. Morbid maybe, but I think about these things and I just can’t have that.

When my father died, so WM tells me, his friends held a small ceremony for him which was crammed with anecdotes and poems and quotations that he loved, and filled with music he adored and it wasn’t a religious ceremony, it was a celebration of his life. I want that.

I have nothing against religion and I will respect anybody’s religion, while I might not agree with it, and I also realise that a person doesn’t necessarily need religion – but I’m so interested in Buddhism and I like the teachings.

Put simply (‘cos I’m just a beginner), they just make sense. And they fit nicely in line with my everyday beliefs and the way I look at life already.

I love this quote, about anger:

‘Practice looking deeply into the nature of your anger. The practice has two phases. The first is embracing and recognising: “My dear anger, I know you are there, I am taking good care of you.” The second phase is to look deeply into the nature of your anger to see how it has come about.’ THICH NHAT HANH (excerpt from ‘Taming the Tiger Within’)

See? It just makes perfect sense and I respect the fact that so-called negative emotions can be seen as positive if you look at them in the right way.

So I’m going to learn some basic meditation techniques and read more of the teachings, maybe get this booty along to a few retreats – I’m going to love it.