Perfect Reality

Reality and perfection are synonymous. - Spinoza in the Zen Calendar (February 13, 2004).

Day 322. Greetings, and Happy Winter Solstice -- one of my top five favorite days of the year, because from now until late June daylight grows longer rather than shorter. Hurray! More light, more outside minutes, fewer days until the resumption of road bike workouts. This Solstice was made all the more special by the breathtaking Lunar Eclipse that graced its opening. My son, bless his nocturnal heart, woke me at 12:45 to witness the wondrous celestial event. We watched it from the front yard until our necks grew stiff, then moved to the back yard when it dawned on us that, perhaps, we could more comfortably gaze at the heavens from the comfort of our cushy lawn furniture. What a clear, still night. Perfect for moon worship. My son provided captivating color commentary. The choicest anecdote was his slant on the next time a lunar eclipse coincides with winter solstice: It happens in 2094, at which time he will be 104 years old. He assured me he will be here to bear witness. I assured him I would not.

I am not a shopper. This probably comes as no great surprise to anyone who has read more than, uh, about two of my blogs. What may come as a surprise, however, is my discovery that traipsing through the mall is absolutely painless when I approach it in the absence of a Preferred Version of how my brief foray into holiday consumerism will transpire. I just may master this dwelling in reality concept before my year is up. And I still have 43 days to go!

Tonight's quote is from the Favorites pile; another page I was saving for the "perfect" matching blog. Like previous favorite quotes I hoarded, its ultimate applicability caught me off guard. Reality and perfection merged during a casual encounter at the Sears counter. Perhaps more accurately, an encounter that casually evolved into a Dual Peak Experience.

Number One: I entered the store with a printed page of my partner's Christmas list. Sounds like an easy enough assignment, other than the little detail that I had not the faintest idea of what a single item on the list actually WAS. Until Mike took a look at it. Held it in his hand and personally walked with me to three different areas of his (rather large) department (the tool aisle was only a cul de sac). Mike efficiently located each item and handed it to me with a flourish. When it was determined that one thing was not stocked in the store, he briskly brandished it on the screen of his computer, ordering it quicker than I could say, "Craftsman." Cheerfully, competently, quickly. I felt like Julie Roberts in Pretty Woman when she returns to Rodeo Drive with Richard Gere's credit card. Who knew Bodhisattvas lurked behind the checkout counter at Sears?! Gassho, Mike!

Peak Experience Number 2: As Mike printed my receipt from our recent Partner Present Conquest, Yawara rang up my other purchases. I commented on his name, and he told me he was from Japan. I then greeted him, noted that it was a nice evening, and inquired about his family - all in Japanese (which, incidentally, totally exhausted the extent of my Japanese vocabulary). Yawara looked pleasantly surprised, and inquired if I had been to Japan. I replied that I had traveled to Japan to teach and explore, and couldn't refrain from mentioning that I was Buddhist and had visited several temples during my stay. He asked what towns I had been to; I told him Yokosuka and Kamakura were my favorites. He seemed charmed, agreeing that he was a fan of Kamakura. I ventured that he probably didn't get to talk about Japan with a great number of his Oklahoma customers, and he laughingly agreed. Yawara told me he would be going home in February to visit his family, and I wished him a safe journey.

The world can be so delightful if I simply let it. Let go my hold and collapse in a heap in the midst of it. Surrender all my Preferred Versions and trust the gift of yet another Truth I have gleaned from my year on the cushion: Reality and Perfection are, indeed, synonymous.

Gassho,
CycleBuddhaDoc