Suriyavamsa - newly installed President of Triratna Highlands in Scotland - is marking the start of his time in that position by making a Dharma Walk from Inverness to Glasgow (that’s 165 miles or so!). And he’s blogging it for us from his trusty Blackberry… + follow above to get updates from the road! If anybody would like to accompany him on the last day, he’s leaving from Milngavie train station at 11am this Friday.
Heid and Peens and Grun a Workin Thegither - (Head and Legs and Ground All Working Together.)
I’m now sitting in Drymen’s Clachan Inn, established in 1734 and claiming to be Scotland’s oldest pub. Two old sailors have started talking about the ships they served on, The Nubian, The Tiger, The Blake, and which was the best. Apparently its all to do with the commander.
These last days my walking is down to 10-12 mile stretches and I’ve noticed that I’m actually enjoying it, happily strolling along.
I kept to a B-road today in order to pay my respects to the memorial of Robert Bontine Cunningham Graham in Gartmore. Cunningham Graham was in his lifetime a local minor aristocrat, an Argentine gaucho, a prolific writer (the film The Mission is based on one of his novels), the first MP to call themselves socialist in the House of Commons, and a co-founder of both the Labour Party and the SNP (Scottish National Party) at different stages of his political evolution. It would seem churlish to just walk by.
Today was hot sunshine and I walked up the steepest hill I’ve seen yet. I was glad of my time spent in Guhyaloka in Spain getting used to heat.
In the hottest part of the afternoon I sat in the shade of a fir tree on a seat of heather and blaeberries and read out a Tara puja, turning the pages with blaeberry stained fingers. Off on the broad slopes of Moor Park a family of ravens performed their own puja with deep ‘kronks’ and gyrations in the sky.
Afterwards I composed this -
Heid and Peens and Grun a Workin Thegither - (Head and Legs and Ground All Working Together.)
I’m now sitting in Drymen’s Clachan Inn, established in 1734 and claiming to be Scotland’s oldest pub. Two old sailors have started talking about the ships they served on, The Nubian, The Tiger, The Blake, and which was the best. Apparently its all to do with the commander.
These last days my walking is down to 10-12 mile stretches and I’ve noticed that I’m actually enjoying it, happily strolling along.
I kept to a B-road today in order to pay my respects to the memorial of Robert Bontine Cunningham Graham in Gartmore. Cunningham Graham was in his lifetime a local minor aristocrat, an Argentine gaucho, a prolific writer (the film The Mission is based on one of his novels), the first MP to call themselves socialist in the House of Commons, and a co-founder of both the Labour Party and the SNP (Scottish National Party) at different stages of his political evolution. It would seem churlish to just walk by.
Today was hot sunshine and I walked up the steepest hill I’ve seen yet. I was glad of my time spent in Guhyaloka in Spain getting used to heat.
In the hottest part of the afternoon I sat in the shade of a fir tree on a seat of heather and blaeberries and read out a Tara puja, turning the pages with blaeberry stained fingers. Off on the broad slopes of Moor Park a family of ravens performed their own puja with deep ‘kronks’ and gyrations in the sky.
Afterwards I composed this -
Each mantra is a boatA poor copy of the likes of Ryokan and Issa of course. Here’s Issa for real -
big enough to carry
all across.
Om tare tuttare ture svaha.
From today onDays 1 & 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Days 5 & 6 | Days 7 & 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Days 11 & 12 | Day 13
To see is to pray…
Dewdrops in the grass.
