Cattāri Brahmavihārā

I woke up this morning with a stuffed nose and a mind cloudier than it’s been in a long time. All the way to Brooklyn and back I have felt as if in a dream. My eyes feel puffy, watery and prone to seal themselves off from the world at a moment’s notice. And the strangest part of all is that I felt more or less normal until we stepped out the door.

I guess the question for me is how to approach this malaise from the perspective of a Dhamma-farer. This morning, as part of my formal meditation regimen, I spent ten minutes reflecting on the preciousness of my human birth with a focus on not squandering the blessings I enjoy. And, I think that’s precisely what I need to bring to bear on this. Yes, it’s an imperfect, a sniffling, frog-throated mess blindy bouncing its way back from Broohlyn to Manhattan but this is life. All of this can be a field of merit or the ante-chamber of Hell depending on my intentions as they arise and fall with each passing moment.

May I make the most of the short time I have on this Earth. May I not squander the blessings of my life and may I cultivate kindness, compassion and charity in my every thought, word and deed. Sukhita hontu!