My Buddhist Practice and my Rupas ⛩

(Photos of all the Rupas in my home today)

I was once a devout Buddhist practitioner and contemplated getting ordained until my family came along about 10 years ago. This may not be what most people associate with a lawyer but I have always worked ethically and for the most part, for the not for profit sector, until it began to emulate the commercial sector.

I was not a disciplined meditator but regularly attended retreats. I preferred the simplicity of the Thai Forest Sangha and once attended a 10-day silent retreat at Amaravati monastery, which was a powerful experience. My favourite Buddhist author however, is Lama Surya Das, who is an American Lama practising in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism. “Awakening the Buddha Within” is a perfect read.

The Rupas (Buddhist statues) are still in most rooms of my home and I try and go on a weekend retreat once a year. Siddharta Gautama, the Buddha, actually informed his disciples that he didn’t want to be remembered in his human form and so all depictions of him are based upon different cultural imagery, though it is known that he was born in India.

The first Rupa above was a present to me and is sitting in our sunroom. It is said that Rupas should be acquired as gifts, so I have given away some of my Rupas in the past.

The Rupa above is possibly my favourite as it is plain and simple in design. It sits in front of me in my bedroom. It is said that your feet should not face the direction of the Buddha Rupa but unfortunately this is at the foot of my bed.

The two Rupas above are matching and bought from Evolution, which was a venture by the Triratna Sangha (formerly the FWBO) until it went into administration. Each shop was originally worked in by a group of practising Buddhists and they sold gift items.

I myself once worked in the Wild Cherry Buddhist Vegetarian Cafe in London, as it was then known, working with a group of practising Buddhist Women on Saturdays. There were some lovely colleagues but there were still challenges to practice upon 🙏🏽.

The Rupa above, I recall bringing back from Hong Kong in my luggage as it was light-weight wood. It sits in our dining room contrasting with our whitewashed walls.

This Rupa is in the Thai tradition, I think and my budgie used to perch upon it for a rest 😆.

Finally, there is this Rupa, which appears to be of a mendicant Buddhist monk. We were gifted this on our marriage. It reminds me of the mendicant monk that used to beg for alms outside our office window in Tokyo. He would stand still for hours under a Japanese hat, dressed in robes with his bowl in his hands, presumably meditating. One day, we saw the police come along and take him away. Apparently he was an imposter but is it not possible that he was following the path but not affiliated to any particular monastery? I still wonder after 22 years!

I would like to tag @julianhorack and @bewithbreath as I appreciate their posts and have never posted anything about my own practice, @fleur 🙏🏽