Month: August 2017

I often think of Buddhist teachings as a series of lists…four noble truths, five skandhas, three secrets, six paramitas, etc. As I prepare to leave Gampo Abbey, I have a new list. Nothing profound or earth-shattering, but points I often overlook in everyday life. Here they are, in no particular order…

Respect for all life. I will never forget the look of pain and sorrow in the eyes of K (a strong, Jack-of-all-trades monastic who puts Tabasco sauce on everything) as he described having to spray a wasp’s nest to make way for the house painter. He tried every other means to encourage the wasps to depart, and in the end, he had no choice. I have learned to sweep around bugs…

The impact of continuous wind on the human psyche. I remember seeing a vignette on TV as a child – it may have been Aesop’s Fables – about the sun and the north wind in a contest to see which could make a man remove his coat. I think the wind was somehow short-changed on that one. It should ask for a rematch to be held here on the edge of North America, with the challenge being which could drive the man insane. I know who my money is on.

The importance of structure. I retired almost eight years ago. I get things done, but not with any great sense of urgency or order. And while I in no way want to return to the rigidity of an 8-5 life, I acknowledge that structure is beneficial and does not detract from spontaneity.

The beauty of this place. I don’t know exactly how long it has been since I’ve been to Cape Breton Island, but it has definitely been too long.

Silence is good for what ails you. It also lulls the people around you into thinking you’re more intelligent than you actually are. And you eventually learn how to communicate with your eyebrows!

Service to others brings great personal reward. Cleaning is way more interesting when I am doing it for someone other than myself.

Sleep is better here. It may be related to work and structure. Perhaps silence too since I don’t have to lie awake fretting about the stupid things I said before bedtime…

Finally, the power of meditation. Sitting still for long periods of time, repeatedly bringing myself back gently to the present moment, makes me a more authentic me.

I have been promoted to head of housekeeping. Lest you think that this is related in any way to my proficiency in cleaning, I should point out that this is solely due to a lack of volunteers. There were three of us in this department last week; I am the only one left!

It has been particularly hectic for the last several days. On Saturday, we celebrated the end of a three-year retreat that took place at Sopa Cholong, a few hundred metres up the road. It was a big celebration, and we had many guests, all of whom required food and accommodation. Today we welcome a group of ten students from St. FX and their advisor. So the turnover has kept us hopping. I haven’t been this tired since I hiked the Annapurna Circuit. Truly.

Throughout all of the comings and goings, we find time for meditation, ritual, silence. Last evening, Paola and I walked to “the cathedral” an outcrop of jagged rock about two kms up the road to Pleasant Bay. It was a beautiful evening, and we used the time to talk for the first time since my arrival. Understand, Paola is my roommate. We have had zero opportunity to talk because we work in different areas of the house, and by the time we get back to our room in the evening, we are in silence. Last night, we shared our remarkably similar histories and an animal-in-the-bush scare. Nothing can bring you closer to another human being than believing you are about to face a bear together.

The wind. It is not yet at a point where it can be called howling. That will come later as winter grabs hold and tightens its icy grip. Nor is it whistling; I suspect it is rarely referred to in that cheerful manner around here. No, there is something unique and mournful about this sound, unrelenting and never letting the listener forget its constant, dynamic presence.

The sky. Ever changing. Deep cobalt blue one day, devoid of distraction, a kaleidoscope of greys the next. A backdrop for hawks and eagles criss-crossing the horizon searching for their next meal.

And then there is the sea. Here on the northeastern tip of Cape Breton Island, the sea dominates. Well, maybe not completely. Because that is the domain of the wind.

i am in Pleasant Bay, NS at Gampo Abbey, a Buddhist monastery perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. This is the home of Ani Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun and prolific author who has helped me through more than one personal crisis – real or imagined – with her deep insight into the human condition and wicked sense of humour. Ani Pema is not here right now; she is away (somewhere) until March. And while that is a teeny, tiny disappointment, I can hear her voice as I sit in the main shrine room with the vast ocean vista laid out before me. I can feel her presence as my feet travel the same path as hers do during walking meditation. I was in her house yesterday.

My first few days here have been a whirlwind of learning…about the workings of the Abbey, about the monastics who have chosen this as a way of life, about the other volunteers from Canada, the US and beyond. There has also been laughter…with a promise of more.