Quintain

One of the most accessible definition of karma is, “what goes around comes around.” So much of life is jousting practice , the aggressive tilting with situations,setbacks and change and I like to think of knights taking their reps at the quintain. The quintain was essentially a wooden man on a swivel; one wooden arm sported a shield, the other a sandbag. A “true hit”on the shield allowed the galloping knight to ride clear of the sandbag that would swing from the other arm and knock the knight who missed his mark off his high horse. So many times have I been laid low by forgetting the fact that what goes around comes around. I often fail to see the sandbag closing in on me.

Youthful jousts often led to a mouthful of dirt.

As you age, your timing and vision improve to the point that many falls can be avoided. We have taken Leonardo da Vinci’s words to heart:” LEARN TO SEE Realize that everything connects to everything else.” We start to understand that the harsh word, the brainstorm and our prejudices, effect us more than the people and situations we rail against. A famous Zen koan reminds that anger is like picking up a hot coal to hurl at your enemy…the first person burned is you. That seems like wisdom to me and I am enjoying the mixture of advancing age and disengagement that allows for a more peaceful life, Haven’t been sandbagged in a while. This good result is because I reject most offered conflicts and when I do tilt, it is with better focus and intention. Put simply, I pick my fights.

Living with clear intention and a sense of another does help us stop our crashing to earth. I used to think that people who didn’t express their grievances and hatreds aggressively were just wimps and now I see them as a sort of karmic warrior…a person who understands that self control and good aim will keep them upright. Those who consciously do no hurt don’t get the credit they deserve in our culture but they have the satisfaction of avoiding a painful fall.

They also contribute to the blessings of life and I suspect they will inherit the earth.

Thanks to those who have sustained me with their good words and good thoughts. You know who you are.

I am not sandbagging.