It's still 9/11 but the Practical Buddhist has calmed down after meditating on the images you see here. I watched this boy haul his too-heavy load of wood. I knew he wasn't old enough to be expected to follow all 227 precepts -- perhaps just the 8 of a novice. Still, he was absolutely absorbed in his task. He looked neither right nor left, but walked with as much dignity as a young man can carrying an unwieldy sack. He was about moving that bundle and nothing else, as far as I could tell. When I am anxious or angry or troubled I pay attention to the feelings to see what they can teach me. Then I talk to myself and try to remember the precepts. What sometimes helps most is to embrace a task. Dishes. Laundry. A report. Letters. An errand. It makes no difference so long as I do it with full attention, noticing everything. When driving I turn off the radio, notice the sound of the engine starting, the smoothness of the steering wheel, the sensation of movement. I scan nearby and in the middle distance for safety. I observe other cars and other drivers as individuals. And so on. I drive as safely and courteously as possible and with full attention. My monkey mind tries to intrude again and again and often succeeds, but I keep returning my attention to here and now. Eventually peace returns, sometimes with new insights, sometimes not.
Maybe the boy monk wasn't paying attention at all. Maybe that look of concentration was worry. Maybe it was hunger, since they don't eat from 12 noon until the next day. Maybe he had sore feet in his flip flops. No matter, the image teaches me, and I am grateful.