Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected FreedomUnfortunately, we can sometimes take each other forgranted. Even though we care for and value each other, weperhaps don’t express it – we never mention it to each other.Perhaps some of us have suffered the consequences of this inrelationships in which there hasn’t been enough expression ofappreciation of friendship. There is a skill in expressingappreciation that we have to work to develop. The Buddhahimself recognised the danger of not valuing friendship, andspoke a lot about the qualities and the value of friendship, thegreat blessing that is true spiritual companionship. When wefind it, we experience happiness, and there is anencouragement to allow oneself to be fully conscious of ourappreciation; to feel nourished by good company. In therecent issue of our monastery newsletter I let it be known howmuch we appreciate all the Christmas Cards that we get here.I know that if people stopped coming here on Sundayevenings or on New Year’s Eve and there was just the nine ofus, life wouldn’t be the same! Having friends come and join usin a shared reaffirmation of things that we respect and value issomething we treasure.Seeing DeeperThe second line of the verse says, ‘Happiness arises fromhaving few needs.’ It might be difficult to hear what is beingsaid here if we don’t engage ourselves in a meditation practice;if we haven’t recognised for ourselves the possibility of innerquietness – a place where we are not wanting anything inparticular. Meditation provides the means to observe that ifthere are ripples of wanting passing through the mind we cansee them just as they are – as ripples, movement. There’smuch more to us than what the active mind leads us tobelieve. Sometimes we seem to be filled with a continuous184