Hungry Ghosts

    
 I am preparing for a week long retreat with Shinzen Young . He is a vipassana meditation teacher and has been a teacher of the Prima Amiga and with her encouragement I am going to spend a week studying with him. He works with the various aspects of pain emotional and physical and I have found his teachings to be very helpful in dealing with all the afflictions of mind  and I can see how learning this material will help in staying mindful during affliction and pain of the body.

       Today the dukha( suffering) that seemed to be the flavor of the day was dancing in the realm of the hungry ghosts.The pretas in Tibetan . They are usually portrayed as large bellied thin necked creatures always attempting to consume more than they can swallow .
The character on the left of the blue Buddha in the picture above.
       The hungry ghost realm is where there is never enough and no matter how fast or hard that the level of consumption is pushed it never will fill the huge belly that always wants more.
        My lease in that realm seem to  be active today. Running around trying to get everything done to prepare for the event left me busy and nervous and not fulfilled. THe big moment when I got to realize how much I was part of the realm was when I went to the park to do a hike and got behind a truck that was moving at about 3 mph. I watched as the moment dissolved into the desire that things move faster and I not be stuck there. Suddenly it was not enough to be in  a beautiful park ,near sunset ,comfortably attired and feed and feeling good. I had to be at the  parking spot 30 seconds faster and nothing would make me happier.
         The irony hit me , I took a deep breath and then another, and another. Calmer I found myself at the parking spot and turned into it and then walked the park for 45 minutes. I still have a lease on that realm. I hope to surrender  a lot of it this week.