Monday, May 08, 2006

More lessons


At our sangha yesterday we were discussing the 11th of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings as interpreted by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is about right livelihood and responsibility as a consumer and as a citizen.

It spurred me to revisit an issue that arose from our recent trip to Manhattan. Zenchild had her huge mane of hair cut at a fancy salon's training school. She flounced into the waiting room and announced "We HAVE to go to Canal Street to buy pocketbooks...all the stylists say so!" So off we went the next morning to this incredible row of stores some only three sided entities, laden with bags, watches, jewelry,and sunglasses. Zenchild was buzzing gaily from vendor to vendor and before long we were being ushered into secret back rooms and even a basement labyrinth of yet more "designer replicas" or "knockoffs". Even I, a Birkenstock wearing, sensible bag toting mom, fell victim and purchased a fake Vuitton. Ok, a fake Prada too. Almost all the vendors were Asian and I'd guess English was a second language for the vast majority.

When we arrived home, my Dad, a retired city cop, reprimanded me
for buying good which are illegal to sell, by illegal immigrants, and which possibly fund other illegal activities, maybe even involving children.(He knows how to get my attention.) Oh jeepers, I thought...all that just buying a pocketbook! How could I be so naive? I'm not usually on the wrong side of the law!

Then a friend of mine offered her idea that the knockoff business is allowed to continue because it is a tourist attraction. She contends that if I can get into the back rooms so can any police officer and the whole thing could be shut down in a minute. I'm not sure if that was a argument for or against or just a comment on my non-threatening looks!

Then zenchild offered her observation. She noted that each little store appeared to be operated by a mom and a dad and as it was school vacation week, there were a lot of children around too. She said "Since these people are 'illegal' they probably can't get a job in a regular business and they have children they need to buy food for.." And it made me think about what kind of risks I'd be willing to take if it meant a better life for my children. Maybe a lot.

So what does this have to do with the 11th mindfulness training...quite a lot I guess. Things are just never as black and white as I think they are, or as I'd hope they could be. But the mindfulness trainings are just that, trainings in being mindful. I may not have any answers but I am sure thinking about it.

Breathing in for all the people who are struggling to create a better life for their families. Breathing out, food, shelter, and safety for all.
All in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.

Zenmom
Authentic Kindness of the Heart

Being in NY


Wow, I've missed the opportunity this blog gives me to sort through my thoughts and experiences and make sense of them. Life just gets going and I've found myself torn between my meditation time and wanting to get to this blog- not to mention the regular time consumers...kids, writing papers, work. I've been meditating long enough to know that it needs to rate up there with eating and brushing my teeth as one of the necessities for health and happiness. It's interesting to me that getting centered and connecting with "the ultimate" in the morning makes it some much more likely that I will stay connected through the day. For someone who's not a "morning person", I've yet to make sense of that.

I took zenchild on a trip to NYC over the April vacation to celebrate her 13th birthday. I grew up in Boston but had never visited NYC amazingly. She and I met up with a friend who lives in the village that I'd met on a message board about 10 years ago and we had a grand girl-y time....admiring art and architecture, seeing a play, and doing some birthday shopping.

One thing that really struck me was the immense beauty of the city. Granted we arrived as a veritable heat wave struck and had the heady pleasure of strolling the city bathed in sun and warm breezes. So that was a lovely gift. I had expected a big, grey, frantically paced city in which it would be difficult to be mindful and what I found was so different.

I couldn't have been more thrilled by the bright lights and colors if I'd been taking in a field of poppies. Gazing out the window of the M6 bus we took down to the Staten Island Ferry felt like being dropped into the window of a kaleidoscope, swirling and turning in bright lively patterns. The sense of being a tiny little speck in a huge sea of bustling humanity didn't feel overwhelming as I might have guessed, I just felt a "part of" in a very comforting way. I practiced tonglen and did a lot of musing about interbeing. While trying on lipstick at Sephora, of course...don't want to give anyone the wrong impression here!

So the trip that started out as a gift to zenchild turned out to be a wonderful respite for me as well. It wasn't exactly a retreat but it was nonetheless a time free from regular responsibilities in which I could see and appreciate the beauty around me with new eyes...the gift of freshness I suppose. I marvel at the understanding that everything is a lesson, it's all opportunity for practice, and the means for waking up is all around us no matter where we are.

I love NY.

Zenmom
Authentic Kindness of the Heart