Bubble On A Stream

We’ve come to the end of a busy week. Lessons, activities and all manner of learning have flooded our tiny school. As we inch towards the cooler temperatures of a Californian fall, I’m looking forward to the approaching season.

This time of year lends itself without reservation to the contemplation of impermanence, one of the meditations which form the bedrock of a Buddhist practitioner’s life. Experiencing the gradual emergence of autumn’s russets and browns while memories of bright flowers fade into space, summons awareness of the change and decay written into every corner of our world. For a moment one is freed to pause and recognise something of truth in the midst of the rushing river of existence.

And so comes each season in turn, summer giving way to autumn, autumn to winter, winter to spring, each different from the one before and each just as ephemeral. Look how quickly yesterday and today, this morning and tonight, this year and next year all pass by one after the other. Nothing ever lasts, nothing is dependable. (Patrul Rinpoche)

Impermanence was much on my mind last week when we caught the last day of the Angkor exhibit. Angkor, also known as Yasodharapura, was the capital city of the Khmer Empire and flourished from approximately the 9th to the 15th centuries. As I gazed upon the awe inspiring temples left behind by Mahayana Buddhist and Hindu kings, now in ruins and buried amidst the Cambodian jungle I was deeply moved. A dynamic and sophisticated society once flourished here. Dharma had spread from India and the Vajrayana was practised. There were stone temples adorned with gold, beautiful statues and carvings in a city of close to a million people. Now all that remains are the silent stones. I was simultaneously powerfully glad to learn of another aspect of Buddhist history and overwhelmed by sorrow for all that we have lost.

We sat in our Buddhist centre a couple of nights ago, surrounded by the truth and beauty of our living spiritual tradition. Mahayana Buddhism was carried from India to Tibet by those who risked their lives on the treacherous mountain journey. The teachings have been perfectly preserved and have the power to transform our lives. I wondered, by what good fortune did a fool such as I gain entrance to this shining realm of gold?

Although I have won these freedoms, I am poor in Dharma, which is their essence.
Although I have entered the Dharma, I waste time doing other things.
Bless me and foolish beings like me
That we may attain the very essence of the freedoms and advantages. (Patrul Rinpoche)

Image accompanying this piece shows three of the two hundred faces of Chenrezik (Avalokitesvara) which adorn the towers of the Bayon temple at Angkor built by King Jayavarman VII.