Monday at the Library

They were still there when I emerged from the Library.

It was only the Mesquite Branch of the Phoenix Library, but it had an excellent selection. My catch that Monday afternoon included a series of audio tapes by Eckhart Tolle, The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Beyond Mindfulness by Bhante Hehepola Gunarantana, and Wever’s Way to Grill by Jamie Purviance (the last being research for The Soul of Barbeque).

I’d been walking around holding an alignment with the fullness of the one life, and sounding that fullness as Joy in the heart, so I was nearly bouncing with happiness as I searched the Eastern Religions section for works on Tibetan Buddhism.

A short, middle-aged housewife approached, stared over the shelves a moment, and removed a video—a recording of the Dalai Lama’s 1996 presentation in London. I mentioned that the tape had recently been published in English as “The World of Tibetan Buddhism,” by the Dalai Lama (I’d seen it in Barnes & Noble the day before). We had a brief conversation on what it meant to “Take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sanga, (the traditional method of becoming a Buddhist) before she completed her selection and departed.

After a couple more brief encounters, I checked out my books, walked past the alarm sensors, and out the sliding glass doors.

The paid advocate at the table on my right was asking another reader if they were interested in signing one of the six petitions he was promoting. He seemed to be using the Medical Marijuana petition to catch people’s attention, before directing them to one of his less interesting liberal causes.

The gentleman at the table on my left was more reserved. Dressed in a businessman’s suit and tie (made possible by the mid-winter weather), he was a great deal more reserved. He asked readers if they were a Republican, and upon receiving a “Yes,” asked if they would sign the petition to place his name on the Republican ticket for the next council election.

Passing between them, I felt myself standing in a polarity of American politics. I paused, focused in my heart, aligned with both polarities, and brought them into union. Holding that union, I spoke in turn with both, and then continued on my way.

Deb would be home early.

Happy New Year!

Glen