Buddhas in my pocket

The myth of Triratna Buddhist Order is symbolised by the image of Avalokitesvara.

This Bodhisattva of compassion has one thousand arms. The Triratna Order now consists of over two thousand Order Members.

In the hands of Avalokitesvara there are items that help depict the diversity of ways we can all offer assistance to help ease suffering and connect with fellow human beings with kindness and compassion.

As I begin a series of posts called  ‘In the hands of the Order ‘ I hope the diverse, wonderful nature of members of our Order will be conveyed. They each in their own way help bring something valuable to this topsy- turvy world.

So  as my pilgrimage unfolds I will ask Order Members to the share with us something they value, something that has found its way into their own hands.

Faces tell us so much about someone but more and more I am also drawn to gaze at hands.

I find no matter what a face is communicating to me , hands tell me more.

In the Winter of 1997 I purchased a magazine called Dharmalife.

The cover picture captured my attention immediately. It depicted an image that has stayed fresh and close to the surface of my emotional landscape for years.

It was of a picture of Tibetan monk, Palden Gyatso’s hands pressed against his face in a poignant depiction of a human being’s response to suffering. Palden had been tortured and imprisoned by his Chinese captors for 33 years.

Something still stirs deeply in me when I look at his hands.

Another strong connection with hands happened to me about 20 years ago. I had learnt  the metta bhavana  meditation  ( loving kindness practice) and this particular incident increased my faith that the practice was working.

I was in a long supermarket checkout line late on a cold Friday night in my hometown of Emerald. The line didn’t seem to be moving and when I looked ahead I saw a very old man trying to get coins from his wallet to pay the cashier.

He fumbled  with unresponsive fingers trying to scoop up the right coins.  People in the line, hoping to get home quickly to loved ones and warmth I imagine , shifted from foot to foot with impatience.

My heart slowly unfolded as I gazed at his deeply lined hands trying to do this impossible task. I sensed that those hands, although empty,  held a full, interesting life.

I also realised in that moment I was seeing the hands of my father, my brothers, my grandsons and all beings.

Those hands could have belonged to anybody as they revealed the universal story of hopes, dreams and suffering…….. the only response to have at such a sight was kindness.

I moved past the few people ahead of me and asked him

” Here, would you like me to help?”

His eyes lit up with acceptance. I chose the correct coins for him and paid the cashier for his items. After I had paid for my shopping, he and I continued to chat and we walked from the store connected in the most simple yet profound way.

This week i will be starting series of posts called ‘In the hands of the Order.’

I will be asking Order members involved the places i am visiting, to hold an item that is meaningful to them and tell me about it. These stories I will share with you.

Four shiny faces suddenly formed a curtain of youth in front me. In a semi circle these high school students momentarily closed off my view of Fed Square and its inhabitants.

After alighting from the tram I had been sitting in the weak autumn sun for only 10 minutes when they approached.

I was doing the third stage of our loving kindness practice and had connected with a sense ease and patience.  I was quite happy to sit and wait.  I knew something would happen, something would become obvious and in the magical way that now almost seems normal on these pilgrimage walks,  some buddhas in my pocket would  find a new home.

Its funny because usually I  am the one usually sensing into who who is a likely candidate to give a buddha to but now turning the tables they had identified me as a likely suspect …..and with confidence in numbers they delivered their request.

Very politely these four high school students asked if I would mind completing a survey. Their teacher had given them an hour to roam the square asking people questions about the city’s homeless community. They were from a school not far from where I used to teach.

As they asked their questions I really had to reflect and try and clearly explain my answers. Their answer categories would not budge to accommodate my insistence that these situations were usually more complex than agree, strongly agree, disagree, strongly disagree. Complex situations required complex answers sometimes.

First question…..Do people sometimes choose homelessness?

I introduced myself more fully ( pulling out my kesa from under my jumper) and told them what I had discovered talking to people I met on my pilgrimage who were homeless. Some of these people had told me they had chosen to be on the streets rather than the shelters provided, others couldn’t wait to get into a shelter and still others, in the grip of addiction, did not feel they had a choice about anything in life anymore.   Previous and current conditions having an effect. Complex.

Which box to tick?

I talked about how I had noticed my response to the complexity of a human beings’ conditions was to try to be aware, present and kind. And of course where possible try to support strategies that could provide as many safe choices as possible for people  to move towards their potential.

After finishing the survey,  unfortunately there was no time to talk more about what opinions and views these young adults were already forming about the homeless situation.

I enjoy connecting with the earnest ideals of youth. Often refreshing, passionate and sometimes very uncompromising . I would have enjoyed listening.

However, before they left I rolled out my bag of ten buddhas and and asked if they would like one. Again, as I witness time and time again, they instantly knew which Buddha was intended for them.

One of them picked up White Tara and guessed correctly that it might be ‘healing.’

Two chose earth touching Buddhas with the lovely quality of grounded confidence.

And finally an Avalokitesvara ( goddess of compassion) necklace went with the last student.

We talked for a while about these Buddhas’ qualities. These young women seemed interested and genuinely pleased to be the next caretakers of figures representing these beautiful qualities.

Buddhas provided by Padmasiddhi, Pam, Vimuttinandi, Chris

…..all from Melbourne