Post-Birthday Wax Philosophical, or A Letter to My Father

Thank you so much Dad. I know I don't say it enough and maybe its the fact that I'm +5:45 hours from you and therefore many thousands of kilometers away (physical distance is an illusion that can be overcome through meditation, by the way), assuming your still in Great Britain, BUT: I love you and Mom, more than you could ever know. And I am so glad (tears are welling up in my eyes, so you know I'm being sincere), and so thankful, and words are lacking to express what I know in my heart, to be your son. I am what I am because of you and Mom and the way you raised me, and though we all have our struggles, there is no one else I would rather be. I am supremely confident that you and Mom will have a most fortunate rebirth. In fact, perhaps this is presumptuous on my part, but considering your tremendous wisdom and rapid progress on the path of mindfulness, Dad, I think you might be a tulku, the rebirth of an enlightened being (google it, I'm being sincere by the way, I really think you may be. It certainly helps to explain why I am the way I am. Also, I found out yesterday that in the Sakya [Again, google it] school of Tibetan Buddhism, monks and especially accomplished lamas [In my humble opinion, you are the latter] are encouraged to marry. Indeed, the spiritual leader of the Sakya tradition is carried on in a hereditary line from father to son. I think and hope a daughter will enter the fold in the near future. By the way, though it is silly, on facebook there is a place to list people who inspire you, you are on there. Mom should be too, because she is so wonderful to everyone she meets, and Bek should be because she is following the Bodhisattva path (wholeheartedly working to alleviate the suffering of sentient beings) more than I ever could. Maybe, in time, I can inspire someone too. The Dalai Lama says if we cannot help people, the least we can do is not hurt them. I want to help people. I don't know why. I always have, but I am not special. I think everyone wants to help people, sometimes it just takes a while for people to find out they do. A lot of helping is misguided unfortunately, pray the gay away, right? I love you. I love you. I love you. I love. I needed to get that off my chest. Dad, this is for you: I know that sometimes you doubt yourself and that sometimes you are what we might call in Tibetan Buddhism, wrathful. (Another aside: wrathful deities in Tibetan Buddhism are protectors of the faithful and those they care about, and the powerful mindstream emanations of compassionate and enlightened Bodhisattvas [Sorry, but again, if you're confused or just interested about terms I use, google them. And if you're really interested, read Dharma books]. Growing up in a society built around material existence, it is so hard to realize our true nature, it took me eighteen years just to enter the stream, so don't feel bad. Don't be trapped by regret about how we have acted in the past. Be mindful yes, which I know you are, and dedicate yourself to the present and the future. Mistakes, like enemies, are the greatest teachers in the world. They show us our limitations. They remind us that no one, not even the Buddha, is perfect. We struggle, that is what makes us human, sentient. Samsara is hard, but without it, there could be no bodhi, no awakening. Back to my point, the past is the past. I know you feel regret for how you used to act. That is okay, but don't be trapped by it. I know that regret traps me all the time, but we have to try and move past it. That is not to say we should be callous, no, never. Simply, and I apologize for being a bit of a broken record, we must be mindful of the past but dedicate ourselves to the present. Negative karma can only be purified through meritorious action. Apologies are good. Righteousness in the here and now is better. Dedication to the path is better. And by God, do you have dedication. Be mindful of that accomplishment, but not proud. Pride ensnares us in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. I don't know where I am going with this, I guess that st why I am a wandering fool (chuckle, chuckle). If it is ok with you, I'd like to post this on my blog, because I think everyone can appreciate much of what I said, but I'll censor whatever you would like me to. That's the least I can do. I love you. Enjoy London and England. Enjoy America. Thank you so much, for everything. And thank you for letting me be here. I realize, it takes a lot to let your child go back to the place where they got typhoid fever. A lot. Peace.

The Frequency is Always Courage,
- Your unbelievably grateful son.