I spent the last week in bed with a dose of flu, which is quite something, as I don’t usually do flu. I had plenty of time whilst lying there to think. This is, I generally find, a dangerous occupation! Like most people these days I lead a busy sometimes too busy existence and to have the luxury to stop and study the wallpaper can be a bit of a shock. I found plenty to dwell on and pick over. Most of it the trivial rubbish that pops up to the surface as soon as we start to meditate.
In my dim, distant past I was a sannyasin of the Indian Guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh-latterly known as Osho. Now he was a Master, with a deep understanding of how far the Westerner had moved from the Art of Meditation. He came up with a number of special dynamic meditations for us that enabled us to remove the clutter and get to the still centre. His methods were unorthodox at the time but really worked for many people. However, stuck in bed and feeling grotty I was unlikely to jump up and begin a Kundalini or Nataraj meditation!
My most recent teacher- Don Juan Nunes del Prado’s wise words came to me. One of the practices he teaches involves discovering an appropriate teacher for all the levels of existence and my level One teacher is Silas my beloved hound! He is a large lad with a gentle soul-unless provoked-who loves the simple things in life. He loves to lie in the sun, chase birds, eat, sleep and play with Pixie, my husband’s dog. That’s it-nothing more and nothing less. While I was in bed he curled up beside me-luckily I have a kingsize as Silas is a Bastiff -Boxer cross mastiff-who looks very similar to a Dogues de Bordeaux.
He doesn’t suffer from worrying about this that and the other-he delights in the garden and nature and is truly an enlightened being-at one with everything. So I thought if he can do it why not me? So we lay there together, accepting what was and an extraordinary thing happened-I discovered that I was happy. How bizarre…to be ill in bed and actually happy. I looked around and realised how amazingly lucky I am. I have a warm place to sleep and recover, food when I need it, a family around me and friends. What else is there? Everyday when the sun rises I am blessed. Everyday I am with my family, I am blessed. Everyday I sit in the sun, I am blessed. Everyday I find food on my table I am blessed. Everytime I sleep and awake I am blessed Everyday I take the time to play and sing, I am blessed. So in gratitude to Silas- a great Guru- I say thank you -though chasing birds not my thing really…. but maybe I should give it a try!
