Birthdays, Deathdays
Last Thursday I completed another lap around the sun, and received numerous well-wishes on FB and elsewhere which I am most grateful for. The day was spent in the company of caseopaya as we started with a visit to Willsmere with the estate agent for a pending sale, and then in the late afternoon a visit to the Lume Van Gogh exhibition, a digital exhibition of his life and works. The animated projections across the walls and floor were quite spectacular and I've even mused on the possibility of rigging up something similar at home at a smaller scale. The following night I went out with funontheupfield and friend to the National Gallery where we had tickets courtesy of a friend whose entire family household has tested positive to coronavirus, which is a bittersweet way to get tickets, but they seem to do doing OK even if it's pretty unpleasant. The is a Channel exhibition on, which I'm pretty indifferent about, but the follow-up drinks and discussion at the local Belgian Beer Cafe was excellent. Then, to continue the rolling festivities, Liana F., came to visit on Saturday, and the following day lei_loo came by for a combined birthday event right in the middle of our respective birthdays. Having already been sufficiently well-fed at her brother's, my own offering was a giant Eton Mess Pavlova, which was pretty spectacular on a balmy summer's night, I must say.
Beyond the festivities of birthdays, however, I am saddened to hear of the death of Thich Nhat Hanh the peace activist and person who coined and is most recognised for the movement of "Engaged Buddhism", which Nhat Hanh drew upon humanistic Buddhist traditions with the direct experience of the Vietnam war and through working with Martin Luther King Jnr for civil rights. It was through strang_er that I was first introduced to this very important school of thought which, in my mind, is certainly one the most important innovations in Buddhist ethics, overcoming the danger of detachment becoming disregard and indifference. Engaged Buddhism, through mindfulness and a sense of care, manages to be mindful, loving, engaged and detached. I do confess to being rather ignorant of the metaphysics, theology, ecclesiastical polity, ecumenism, etc of Engaged Buddhism and whether it is any different at all to the mainstream. Perhaps, in honour of Thich Nhat Hanh it is something that I should make some effort toward. This entry was originally posted at https://tcpip.dreamwidth.org/331318.html.
Beyond the festivities of birthdays, however, I am saddened to hear of the death of Thich Nhat Hanh the peace activist and person who coined and is most recognised for the movement of "Engaged Buddhism", which Nhat Hanh drew upon humanistic Buddhist traditions with the direct experience of the Vietnam war and through working with Martin Luther King Jnr for civil rights. It was through strang_er that I was first introduced to this very important school of thought which, in my mind, is certainly one the most important innovations in Buddhist ethics, overcoming the danger of detachment becoming disregard and indifference. Engaged Buddhism, through mindfulness and a sense of care, manages to be mindful, loving, engaged and detached. I do confess to being rather ignorant of the metaphysics, theology, ecclesiastical polity, ecumenism, etc of Engaged Buddhism and whether it is any different at all to the mainstream. Perhaps, in honour of Thich Nhat Hanh it is something that I should make some effort toward. This entry was originally posted at https://tcpip.dreamwidth.org/331318.html.