Cattāri Brahmavihārā

I think the hardest thing about being on vacation is the dearth of opportunties to make merit. As obvious as this may seem the fact of it hit home in the past few days when I have, serendipitously, met with the opportunity to do a good deed and make merit. What was particulary curious was the my first thought when being asked for help was “I really don’t want to bother with this nor should I have to.” Hard-hearted, I know, but that was the initial (though fleeting) thought that accompanied the first real request for help I met with this vacation.

So, is it a problem with the external cirucmstances or the (dis)order of the heart? If I were at an all-inclusive resort where I was shielded from all manner of mundanities and the realities of quotidian existence I might say that it were the former. However, since we’re staying with family who live here half the year and are firmly ensconced in daily concerns it is clear that the atrophy of the heart is a result of my own errors of perception.

It seems that I came here with the implicit misunderstanding that I was vacationing and should not be expected to do any “heavy-lifting” of any kind. What I have done is to cut myself off from the marrow of the Dhamma and cheated not only other beings I could have benefited and myself as well.

May we always be midful of the state of our heart and ever seek to open it and embrace all beings in metta and karuma!