Jessie eating a Babybel (cheese)

Jessie Bradley Alex with strange friends

Our new arena at Terstan

Here is Capitan - being schooled by me in our new arena - really the tarted up old yard covered with special sand - photo by Sarah Johns.

A Buddhist Insight for the New Year...

Dana, Metta and Bhavana – The Three Weapons of Wisdom

“ Having slain mother (craving), father (conceit), two warrior kings (views of Eternalism and Nihilism), and having destroyed a country (senses and sense objects) together with its treasure (clinging), ungrieving goes the Arahat.” Dhammapada 294

The Buddha Dhamma is a virile teaching. It has no use for sickly sentimentality. It appeals to the practical minded, those who face facts and are prepared to exert themselves. The facts are greed, hatred and ignorance. Everywhere we see them, in the palaces of the rich and the hovels of the poor, in hospitals, at holiday resorts and in the courts of law. Wherever we see them, we must recognize them, because one cannot fight an enemy that one does not recognize.

Greed, hatred and ignorance—the ugly trio—these are our true enemies, and have always been so from the beginning of time. Against each of these enemies there is a weapon, sure and deadly, in the hand of him who is strong enough to wield it.

The weapon that destroys greed is liberality (dana). That is simple enough to think about, and beautiful enough to admire. But it is a heavy weapon and only the strong can wield it. Let us be strong in giving, as the Bodhisatta was strong, giving wealth, giving limbs, eyes, blood, life itself. There was no limit to His giving, as there is no limit to the courage of a hero.

The weapon that destroys hatred is love (metta). This is not the selfish, clinging love that novelists and film producers exploit to such advantage. Such love is a puny thing compared with the Buddha's metta, because metta has nothing of self in it and nothing of clinging. It is limitless, extending to all beings as friends, making no distinction between this person and that. It is not easy to love in this way, but it is worth trying, and the time is now. It may yet save humanity from self-destruction.

The weapon that destroys ignorance is meditation (bhavana). Buddhist meditation is not day dreaming, musing, or the building of castles in the air. It is the systematic training of the mind in concentrated thought and the focussing of that trained mind on the nature of life itself. Seen clearly, it is seen as impermanent, unsatisfactory and devoid of any core of reality. This weapon, meditation, is the most difficult of all to wield and master. It calls for training in self-discipline, a training that we all need. The beginning of this training lies in the strict observance of the five precepts. These precepts strictly observed, build a character strong enough to wield the weapon of bhavana. Let us strengthen ourselves, arm ourselves, arm ourselves with these three mighty weapons and attack the three enemies, like happy warriors.

(Source: excerpt from Wheel No.24/25, BPS, Kandy. For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted, reprinted and redistributed in any medium. However, any such republication and redistribution is to be made available to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and translations and other derivative works are to be clearly marked as such.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!

Bradley, Alex and Jessie in Crab Wood

Alexander and Penelope

This textile/mixed media artwork was made by Paddy Killer - see "paddykillerart.com"
It hangs in our main room and seems to give our friends some amusement, as well as wonder at the skill in its making. The subject is based on the idea of our names - both Homeric - check out Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and Alexander, more commonly refered to in the Odyssey as Paris.

Leah and Kitten at Clare's house

Aisha and Lauren

Sarah and Lauren giving Mary-Ann a ride on Sonadora

Autumn Garden

Greetings Comrades! - Paddy Killer with Sandy

Charlie James rides Sonadora

Charlie in the foreground, with me on Chockles holding Capitan for Tracy to mount in the background

Visitors in late summer

My old school friend Terry James, stayed a couple of days with his daughter Charlie - we were visited by our two grandsons, Alex and Bradley one afternoon (asking Penny or me to take them swimming.) There is a poic of Charlie riding Sonadpra on our Magna Carta Blog.

This is me and my Godson, Sam

Conquistador horses - Sandy and Lauren

Strange new horses have appeared in Longstock – they glide rather than trot and are very good to ride for people (like me) with disabilities - they are Paso Finos from America, and we ride them in a relaxed western style.

The breed originated in Spain from ancient horses including Arabs. When Columbus returned to the New World on his second expedition he took selected Spanish horses with him to the island of Hispaniola. They were used for transport and for impressing (and intimidating) the indigenous population - who did not have horses.

Later explorers rode them to other parts of South America. Some horses had a natural ability to move with a smooth walking or running gait for long periods of time, and in a way that conserves energy. These were specially bred and valued for their beauty, comfort, endurance and gentle temperament. Paso Fino horses are quite small - some are pony size. Their natural ‘4 beat’ gait is different from the more common trot, and can be trained further in various speeds and styles.

The majority of these horses are still to be found in South America but in 1965 they reached the USA. They are now one of the first choices in the US when it comes to Riding for the Disabled and for children with special needs. More recently they have been returning to Europe - there are about a thousand, most in Germany, and about sixty in the UK.

My friends and I enjoy trail riding and showing our Pasos – you may have seen us go by - usually after a long trek through woods, rivers and downs.

Sarah's Sammy on the bed today

Jamie came yesterday - front view....

Penny back from morning walk

Sandy on Sonadora today