Velvet Verbosity

It occurred to me that the title “Being Buddhist” is a bit off the mark, but I’ve started with that so I’m going to stick with it just for consistency’s sake.

After I met RT, well really starting a few weeks before then, I read every book I could get my hands on. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (Shambhala Library), The Accidental Buddhist, and Buddhism without Beliefs to name a few.  Actually, there were only a few at my local library.  I lived in a small town, population in the hundreds.  What I could find was only leaving me thirsty for more.  The internet was still new, and I didn’t have a connection at home anyway.  Meeting RT, for me, was the quench to my thirst.  He embodied the practices I was reading about, he radiated the truths I could only still guess at, but most importantly, his presence in our classroom that day meant that there were teachings available right nearby.  (The fact that I ended up in this town when I did is a story for another day.  Remind me, Internet, to tell you that story.)

I was eager to visit the meditation center RT had visited from so I called as soon as I got home.  The woman told me a calendar would be on its way to me shortly.  I was dismayed to discover that the “programs” cost money.  I was a struggling single mother and could barely afford time, much less greenbacks.  I used the books I read to start my own practice as I understood it and decided to be patient.  I wouldn’t have to wait long.  Life had a plan.