Sunday morning

11.20 Sunday morning and its cold inside.

Behind me the dogs are sleeping silently and I can hear one of my sons

His fingers on the keyboards.

Somewhere in the distance

Is Kent, our home-stay student from South Korea

Negotiating our kitchen.

Meanwhile on Dhamma Wheel I’m watching over

Mostly genteel discussion and debate

and that fine line between civility and something else.

Soon, I’ll get moving.  Vast quantities of chlorinated water is calling me.

And later – to check on a horse that only last night returned.  And that’s another story.

Until then…

Inspiration from the Theragatha

āraddhavīriye pahitatte niccaṃ daḷhaparakkame samagge sāvake passa etaṃ buddhāna vandanaṃ.

I see the gathering of followers: Putting forth effort, self controlled, Always with strong resolution —This is how to honor the Buddhas!

— Mahapajapatigotamitheriapadanam-2/7-171

Hello world!

Greetings and welcome to this blog.  I’m just an ordinary family man living in Tasmania.  Along with an interest in many things but not limited to cuisine design, politics, archery greyhounds, parenting and horses.  I’m a practitioner of the Theravada, the southern school of Buddism prevalent in Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Sravaka means ‘hearer’ or ‘disciple’ in the ancient Pali language and denoted someone who followed the Buddha’s path.  Savage Land is my descriptor for my new home of Tasmania.  Its savage colonial history still resonates today under the thin veneer of gentrified Tasmanian society.  There’s a dark visceral under-current just under the surface.

This blog will contain some of my observations and hopefully, a few insights.  Thanks for reading and any comments you wish to leave.

Kind regards

Ben