by James | Jan 10, 2012 | Exploration I
Pilgrimage is a very religious word the idea is that the follower proves his determination by following a pre-specified route to a set (or set of) locations; However, it is the journey not the destination that changes people, such travels always bring a reflective side of character and through meeting others we learn a lot about ourselves. The aim of travelling alone is to, through solitude, self-reflection and self-reliance grow and when one arrives at their destination they should be both exhausted and rejuvenated because they have succeeded. The higher the mountain, the longer the march, the more we realise we can do.
It would be therefore seem like a good thing to do two things
- To prepare members for their own personal time as a journeyman and,
- Mandate that all members must have a period of time as journeyman during their period in the community to expand their horizons.
by James | Jan 9, 2012 | Exploration I
Buddhist thought has the idea of suffering, that we are all born to suffer and there is some truth to that, but we are also born to love, live and be content. There is certainly truth in the fact that we should live our lives in the best possible way but also we should be able to live in the way we want to! Because what is sadder than wasting our lives without embracing our loves, what interests us and all the experiences that this world has to offer.
by James | Jan 6, 2012 | Exploration I
I saw a dragonfly today the size of a child’s hand. On the river banks it was no doubt perfect for its surroundings a true predator of the air. But it flailed and struggled on the high-street until out of sight. It just goes to show when you are highly adapted for an environment that outside of your zone of expertise your are lost and flailing in the wind, which is why we must prepare for the unexpected as no one knows by definition when that might occur.
by James | Jan 5, 2012 | Exploration I
To try and focus on what I needed to look at I went through all the different question words and asked myself al the questions I was trying to avoid, all the things people might ask me, or had asked me. Ultimately I decided I had to try and answer all these sorts of things if I had a chance of creating a semblance of the community in my mind. Bizarrely I didn’t start answering the questions till many entries later. But ultimately I answered all of them.
by James | Jan 5, 2012 | Exploration I
The question of Where; Where should the first community be founded? Where will the initial funding come from? Where will new members be found? Where would ownership begin or end for a member? Where would meetings, exercises, meditation and work take place? Where will the money be saved? Where would be cheapest? Where would people sleep? Where would the designs for the new buildings come from? Where would you initially acquire teaching skills? Where would you house novices, transitory or permanent members?
