We take refuge in many things. Here are some of the things I often take refuge in: sleeping, organizing things, drinking good beer and watching movies. I also take refuge in painting Johnny Ramone and the Kitty Cat Lamp, spending time with the Q meister and putting flowers in the garden. We take refuge in things that make us feel better, in things that make us feel happy. They are the things that replenish us, help us feel ourselves again after the burdens we carry cause us to ache.
People who take refuge in the teachings of Buddhism are Buddhists, if you like labels like that. We are talking about this in classes this summer, and I believe there will be a ceremony at the end. We are asking questions, we are thinking, other students are leading the classes.
We take refuge in the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha. The Buddhas- the enlightened being we strive to become, the inspiration. The Dharma- the teachings, the guidelines. The Sangha- the community of people also on the path, the friends. Taking refuge signifies a commitment- we acnowledge that refuge in these teachings will bring the most meaning- aspiration and inspiration. There are also the precepts of taking refuge- the guidelines to living a life of compassion and conduct. The first of these precepts is the vow to not kill.
This means I will not be fly-fishing this summer. It feels like renouncing the religion I grew up with. For years, I have not known how to feel about this issue. I love being near the river, love the water against my legs, reading the river, seeing the fish, thinking as a fish would, casting long lines as smoothly as possible. And the fish- they are so brilliantly colored, they move so smoothly, they trust so completely that skillfully thrown fly. But then there is a snag in a beautiful mouth, some drops of blood, and sometimes a hook through an eye, or a fish too small for that fight through the suffocating air and the burning gills. This is what I had to do for fun today?
We take refuge in the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha. The Buddhas- the enlightened being we strive to become, the inspiration. The Dharma- the teachings, the guidelines. The Sangha- the community of people also on the path, the friends. Taking refuge signifies a commitment- we acnowledge that refuge in these teachings will bring the most meaning- aspiration and inspiration. There are also the precepts of taking refuge- the guidelines to living a life of compassion and conduct. The first of these precepts is the vow to not kill.
This means I will not be fly-fishing this summer. It feels like renouncing the religion I grew up with. For years, I have not known how to feel about this issue. I love being near the river, love the water against my legs, reading the river, seeing the fish, thinking as a fish would, casting long lines as smoothly as possible. And the fish- they are so brilliantly colored, they move so smoothly, they trust so completely that skillfully thrown fly. But then there is a snag in a beautiful mouth, some drops of blood, and sometimes a hook through an eye, or a fish too small for that fight through the suffocating air and the burning gills. This is what I had to do for fun today?
This year, near my favorite Idaho river, I will love my family. I will opt to simply be present and enjoy the space around me, knowing that the fish are safely housed in their cool glass home that I will not be taking them from.
(Photo taken by Zac Sexton, Cuttiethon Foundation)
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6 comments:
Beautiful post. So glad to have discovered each other in this blabbing blog world.
That was a beautiful blog. You are such an inspiration to me!
Thank you for reading! *grins*
Been reading your blogs lately. Enjoyable, insightful reading. Thanks for taking the time to put them down.
You are not alone. Jacques Cousteau has called catch-and-release angling a perversion. At least one fly-fisher has written about casting flies with the entire bend of the hook clipped off in order to enjoy everything except fish struggle and the bad parts about the hook-in-the-animal. Some, though, enjoy the wiggle ("Feed That Jones," Ted Leeson, The Habit of Rivers). Others (dimf included) like the communion of two creatures from different worlds consummated through touch. David James Duncan, asked why countless times, has an elegant and thoughtful reply based partly on his conservation ethic ("Agony and Hilarity" in God Laughs and Plays). Knowing that it is enough to love only the river because without it trout cannot exist, I will continue to hook 'em, marvel at their struggle to escape, and their exquisite beauty seen up close and personal, in my hand. (posted by dimf)
To each his (or her) own! May we all love and care for rivers in our own ways.
How much respect and love I have for DJD's writing. Thanks for the comment.
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