Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Buddha taught that because circumstances are constantly changing, one is wise not to cling to pleasurable circumstances when they arise, but rather to cultivate a state of mind that adapts comfortably to whatever arises, without judging. It's a good thing that I've tried to take this teaching to heart over the years (which is not to say that I've mastered it), because my Friday English class was far more subdued than Thursday's class (described below). Perhaps it was the effect of the on-coming weekend, or perhaps the Buddha was right. Ah, well! Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Meanwhile, you may remember an earlier blog entry in which I talked about learning Tibetan. I explained how I've been testing my pronunciation by trying out my favorite practice sentence, "Di yak karpo rey" ("This yak is white") on Tibetans to see how many actually understand what I'm trying to say. Approximately 4 out of 5 Tibetans understand me when I say this, and 1 Tibetan completely breaks up laughing. Now I'm pleased to share with you this photo of a white yak, kindly given to me by my friend Carol Keslar, who encountered it a few days ago in Manali.

5 comments:

karen said...

I'm reminded of when I was studying Tagalog and I practiced with friends from the Philippines, and one just busted out laughing... she said she could understand what I meant to say but my accent was so strong it was totally laughable, and I sounded "fresh off the boat" as they say...

And about not being too attached to pleasurable circumstances as they arise, and cultivating a state of mind that adapts comfortably to whatever arises, without judging... so true. Abundant opportunities to cultivate and practice these days. My "two-step" with change is far from graceful (probably as graceful as my efforts to practice Tagalog... or Tibetan!), but at least we know we can keep practicing in this dance... best wishes to you in yours!

C said...

Christina Feldman says that Buddha's teaching on impermanence is a compassionate gift--when we accept change we are far less fearful.

Oh, my, what a beautiful yak!

Anonymous said...






Run Yak,

RUN!




Prasun said...

YAK can't run.... it's a sturdy but a lazy animal.

Prasun said...

In hindu religion cows (includes yak, mithun ox etc) are holy... but in tibet they eat yak's meat. subtle difference in views perhaps due to climatic conditions.... mary can ask tibetians and give us a feedback on their views aand philosophy... over to Mary.