199-Time - Buddhism in daily life

Time


Time passed in the monastery, and everyday life became a sequence
of habits. My master reminded me that it was my habits that would
define my outward appearance, which of course would provide
insight into my "true" person.


Getting up, getting dressed, spirituality, washing, eating,
exercising, eating, washing, spirituality, undressing, sleeping.
Get up, get dressed, spirituality, washing, eating, day trip,
eating, back to the monastery, undressing, sleeping, Get up, get
dressed, spirituality, washing, eating, training, eating,
washing, spirituality, undressing, sleeping.


The habits were simple, it was a very meditative life, with no
real goals, the path was the goal! Today it is completely
different, too many habits spoil the character!


Weeks turned into months, always on the days off we were in the
provincial capital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, which is
considered by most Chinese to be the region of origin of Chinese
culture and nation; Lao Tzu, for example, comes from there. There
we usually ate delicious food, I was also able to get hold of
European provisions (quite exhausting at that time), finally
reached my parents by phone (in a time without cell phones).


We got used to more ambitious destinations for our days off, no
longer just the big city, but nature and temples, history and
spirituality. For example, we were in Kaifeng, one of the ancient
capitals in the history of China, we visited other temples, met
different monks and friends.


I was not aware of the time, already too long I was here, more
than half a year, it was getting cold in the mountains. Without
heating I had never spent a single day, what consequences of this
one can not imagine, what tracks to follow, what concessions it
requires, such a life, in Europe we like it just cozy warm. The
sanitary conditions were thus very limited, who likes to take off
all clothes in the cold. Mainly we washed at the stream, the
toilets were full of tourists, dirty and without privacy, there
was the nature better.


I had followed a myth here to China, the details were not
important, but with time I began to miss the HOUSING from the
affluent society. My desires began to bother me again, the ego
demanded changes in habits, variety, partying and diversion.


I persuaded my master Yan Zi to rent a small hotel room in the
small town of Deng Feng. Finally a shower of our own, even if
there was rarely hot water, mixed in a vat with hot tea water but
still feasible. Here there were also better restaurants, we had
always eaten only in the temple or in the stalls around.
Unfortunately, I have from this time only a few photos, too many
moves, too much ballast, because the way is the goal!


Were the fruits bigger at that time?


- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before
the year zero


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