spontaneity

the family downstair had been really loud all morning, so i decided to walk to Shambhala Center to practice in their shrine room for a while. I went up and realized that there's a dead body in the shrine room waiting for the Sukhavati ceremony. hmm...since i was already there, i decided to practice in there for a couple of hours. it was a very interesting experience--almost like practicing in a charnel ground. Then i came home with this sense of rawness and sadness. I was trying to find an escape---calling a friend, watching a movie, and so on...then aroud 9 pm, Tristan suddenly appeared at my door. He invited me to join him for a walk--actually, quite a rigorous journey up to the top of the snow-covered mountain without flashlights or snowshoes. We reached the top, sat there looking at the stars and the lights of Boulder, and then talked about struggles of life. it was a really spontaneous and wonderful experience for a lonely night like this. Tristan gave me something very thoughtful to chew on and I'm really grateful for his visit tonight.