Sunday, January 04, 2009

The Moment Is As Perfect As It Can Be


Father Richard Rohr, a friend and former teacher of mine, came up with the thought that "the moment is as perfect as it can be" as he recognized his own frustration of being stuck in traffic at a red light that seemed to be broken. I remembered this thought today while involved in a dialog at the monastery. It was a dialog that I feel I've been in hundreds of times. It basically had to do with a group I've been part of for almost 20 years. It was the same conversation about progress and goals and where we are and where we're trying to be, etc, etc. It wasn't an unpleasant conversation. It was just a conversation that I am weary of discussing further. I basically shared with the group that I don't worry about anything related to the group and I certainly don't lose sleep over it because we are where we are and "the moment is as perfect as it can be". Like everything else in life, it will unfold as it should.

Today was actually a collection of perfect moments. It began with getting out of bed at an early hour. I took a shower and left the house as quietly as I could. I then stopped off for some gas and a cappuccino and got on I-65 South. My first stop was the Huddle House which is basically a better version of the Waffle House. I met my friend, Father Dennis, for breakfast. As always we had some great conversation. Afterwards I followed him to his house where we had a very informal and laid back mass. The homily was a dialogue between the two of us. After my visit with Dennis, I headed for the monastery where I joined the monk's mass in progress. When that was over a large group of monks and other friends met at the Family Guesthouse across the highway for a luncheon. I was at the monastery with some of my favorite people. There was plenty of tasty food. While eating the food there was more great conversation, a little of Brother Paul's poetry, and an intimate one man cello performance from a gentleman who is retired from the Cincinnati Symphony. All of this together created a perfect Sunday afternoon. As far as I was concerned the moment was a perfect as it could be. Today's Buddhist thought provides some insight into how to create perfect moments in your life.


Happiness and suffering come from your own mind, not from outside. Your own mind is the cause of happiness; your own mind is the cause of suffering. To obtain happiness and pacify suffering, you have to work within your own mind.
-Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "The Door To Satisfaction"

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