Becoming a Buddha Part 2

So the journey continues and whilst I continue to learn ‘mostly’ alone I can refer to many online resources such as Essence of Buddhism which has just won an award for its contribution to understanding Buddhism. I’ve found I can ‘fast track’ my learning online and at my age I need to fast track. But nothing compares to the personal teachings of a wise teacher a ‘Guru’. My own teacher is Prabhu DarmaYasa. He continues to surprise and sometimes I think he ‘tests me’. However, it’s all done in a friendly, humorous way, and I can smile when I feel it’s happening.

Just recently Prabhu (DarmaYasa) has taken to posting his teachings on Facebook, in the early hours of the morning. The language is Indonesian and I feel obliged to translate into English, so that English speakers who don’t have time to kill can understand the importance of these messages. The added bonus however is that I get to read these ‘Spiritual Pearls’ before most people here have even woken up. The downside of course is that I don’t get much sleep, something that my old doctor (Dr. L) my Nemesis ha ha.. say’s I need. The thing is this awareness seems to have lifted not only my spirit but my energy. So it’s a win-win which I used to teach my team was important in my previous Commercial life.

I’m also fortunate in being a volunteer at the Lotus-Tal-Qalb where there are similar people to me, mostly Brits, (but not quite as crazy), we discus some of the questions and issues we have with each other in our regular Monday talks. Talking helps. If we talked more there would be less trouble in our world.

If you were to ask The Buddha if this style of ‘fast tracking’ was OK I think he’d say “sure that’s what all my teachings are about”. So I continue on happy and blissfully unaware if I’m offending anyone along the way. I hope not…

I’ll take my own journey in my own way, each of us should decide the best way for ourselves. We’re all faced with different responsibilities, whether it’s looking after our family or a commitment to a cause. Fortunately I have the luxury of knowing (as best I can) that my family are fine and I can look after my commitments to any good causes that I’m attached to. So I can focus on ME and finding that Nirvana (that I know is there).

I think that’s enough for today, the cock is crowing in the background, his job is supposed to be about waking people up. I hope his helps bring a wake-up call to everyone who reads my blog.

Peace and Love and all the best as Prabhu would say.

Becoming a Buddha (Part 1)

I started to write this while my Facebook was charging up and then this appeared from my spiritual teacher (my Guru) DarmaYasa.

Life should be about play and laughter when we’re younger. I have many kids, when I’m asked “How many children do you have?” I think “Oh no here we go again”. Because I’ve been blessed with many, at my last count 11 (that I know of). Wow people say eleven, then I have to explain (which in my case could take a lifetime), and at 66 I don’t have all day ha-ha. So before I go any further I will explain.

In my first ‘true marriage’ I first ‘inherited’ 6 children, sure I wasn’t the sperm donor, but I happily ‘took on’ at 23 Oh My God, the Joy these kids brought me. I then had my ‘own’ daughter Sarah (who’s the light of my life). It gets even more complicated ‘cos before Bobbin (my daughter’s nickname) came along I had a relationship with someone else and she gave me another daughter Elizabeth, so Elizabeth is the eldest of my ‘personal children‘. Later my wife and I divorced (long story too long for this post) and I remarried someone with 3 kids, so 6+3+2 = 11 numbers are important…. see Angka meditation for more info.

I’ve learnt a lot as I’ve enjoyed teaching and being taught by my kids through the years, such as ‘I too can become a Buddha‘ and kids know when there’s a swimming pool around especially when they want to go swimming, (I’d be driving along the road and Bobbin would say “wimming pool” she couldn’t pronounce the Ss but she could smell the chlorine in the air, and wanted to go for a swim with her big ‘smiley face’). Even now after some 35 years makes me smile just thinking about it.

So yes I have lots of kids, I don’t like calling them my ‘step children’ ‘cos I knew what I was doing when I married their mothers I ‘adopted’ them, and it’s been a Joy watching them all grow up have their own children, some of whom went on to have even more children. There are now more children bearing my name in the world than ever before (my dad would be proud of his son getting our family name re-established tehe). Sure they don’t have my genes but I hope in some small way I can contribute to showing them the true path, the middle path no extremes are necessary to attain happiness (Buddhahood).

So I call myself a Christian Buddhist, I was born a Christian but later became attached to Buddhism (which to me isn’t a religion but a way of life). It was Bobbin that was instrumental in in bringing me that realization and Leigh her brother that developed it, (long story). But because of all of my ‘earthly’ responsibilities I put this ‘self-realization’ on the back-burner (I had all these kid’s to provide for and what a journey it’s been).

So to the original point I was going to make “You too Anya can be a Buddha” that’s what Chuthima (Anya’s mother) said to Anya when he started moving off that ‘middle path‘ (Anya is my Grandson). It was said on Facebook so everyone saw Chuthima teaching her son a lesson. It amused me at the time but also gave me one of those Aha moments (and there have been many since). Could I become a Buddha? Surely that’s a bit like saying I’m Jesus, and that in Christianity would be a heresy, you’d be burnt at the stake for saying that not so long ago. But Buddhism is much different, The Buddha wanted to teach everyone that no need to go through all these trials and tribulations to reach your Nirvana . I’ll cut through the crap, he would have said in today’s modern lingo and then you can experience true bliss much earlier in this thing we call life (which is just the blink of an eye). So for now its goodbye from me and goodbye from him “all the best”

Customer Service part2

So now it’s down to name and shame, I have given these ‘suppliers’ enough time to redeem themselves, now it’s time to open up the ridiculous situation they have put me in.

DeBono Upholstery.

THE LAST TIME THE AWNING WAS UP..

John DeBono on the face of it appears to be a nice guy, and I’m not so sure it’s with him that I have ‘De Bone to pick’. This whole episode would border on a comedy sketch if it didn’t have such serious consequences, not just for me, but for the organisations my little tea shop was going to help and it’s customers. This ‘awnings’ debacle started with the landlord of the shop Joe Sultana. When I was viewing the shop for the first time he pointed out that the largest awning was damaged in one corner where a bus had hit it. “Insurance I asked”? No he was too late to claim on insurance he says, so I have to sort out the damaged awning (not such a big issue me thinks), famous last words again. He introduces me to two suppliers and I find DeBono Upholstery to be the most ‘convenient’. After a long process we agree the material and colour of the new awnings and a price €1250 to cover both frames, we have the chairs covered at the same time (I do most of the work on those).

They arrive and remove both frames, several weeks later the job is done its looking good and Hug’s Tea shop is finally open for business. But not for long! After a rainfall the ‘Hug’s part of the sign slides off the awning, it’s replaced (I am told) by a butterfly that lands at the same moment on the spot where the Hug’s lettering used to be. “It’s a sign” Margaret one of the ladies there at the time say’s. No,it’s called delamination I replied jokingly, (I used to run a very large paint company, so I do know a bit about paint).

BEFORE WORK BEGAN

I contact John DeBono we have a problem. Now I come to think of it even though my Guru Prabhu has come to my tea shop in Gozo from Bali and blessed the place, perhaps this is indeed a sign and I should think about giving it another name. Hug’s teashop has barely opened its door when the sign comes down and we agree a new name ‘The Divine LOVE Teashop’ this is not only a name agreed to be a good one by Prabhu, but also Father Gerard from Ta Pinu.

Now the ‘fun’ begins. I chose a new graphic but have to get Aaron at Gozo Creations to make a 3 part stencil, so that John DeBono can do the job. I spend hours going backwards and forwards sorting out these issues. I buy the paint to do the job. Paint that won’t slide off at the first sign of rain. This is not only costing me a lot of money in materials but each time I have to close the shop to do what these suppliers should be doing for me I lose custom and money. But I kinda figured that not having a sign above the door to tell people what we are, isn’t going to help pull the customers in.

I collect the stencil from Aaron at Gozo Creations, he’s not there but his guy hands me the stencil with the invoice attached. I take both to John DeBono, at this stage I’m not sure who’s responsible for the €50 cost of the stencil. I detach the invoice and leave the stencil with DeBono. I return to the tea shop only to find a message from Aaron saying why didn’t I pay the bill??? Hang on here who’s the customer? This is about customer relations. It then transpires that he goes to DeBono, gets the stencil off him and takes it back to his shop. These people are absolutely effing crazy, customer service? They wouldn’t recognise customer service while they have a hole in their backside. Angry.. well I’m trying very hard not to be, but this whole episode is disturbing my Karma. I go, pay the bill (cash as always they accept no other form of payment). I retrieve the stencil for DeBono. At each stage of painting they ask me to make sure they are doing it right, so at each stage I close the shop to drive into Rabat (Victoria).

Eventually after a very long process the awning is finished. It’s looking good (not great) but better than nothing. Now I’d already paid €625 of the bill for the awning, so DeBono is owed the other half. No problem I have the money (despite having no customers). He initially agree to collect the money when he brings the awning to fit, then keeps changing his mind. I’m getting a ‘tad’ bit impatient. I’m losing a LOT of money here, all of my pension is invested in this, and this is no joke. So now we have a standoff, my attorney as far as I’m concerned should sue the arse off him, teach him and whoever is behind this a lesson. I want compensation for loss of earnings, distress, materials supplied etc. PLUS what about the theft of my awning frame?

THE HUG’S SIGN

I am Buddhist and believe in peace but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and I firmly believe this is one of those times. So here I am I open the teashop proper in July 2016 and January 2017 still no sign. Enough said….. click here to see the place>>>>>>>>>> Before I moved in

The landlord ‘Joe Sultana’ is a small man with a ‘complex’. He enjoys flexing his skinny muscles especially when the ladies are around, he’s around 70, wears gold earrings, he has a ‘Russian’ wife and two small children. Nice kids, nice wife, but as his wife confided once to Lidia (my own, now ex Russian business partner) he’s not all he appears to be. The ‘restaurant’ that he used to run, is filthy when I move in, I mean really filthy. He used to prepare food in the basement. If the health department had seen the conditions down there he would have been closed down. Jeffries was a health hazard, and apart from anything else it took many hours to bring the place up to scratch. I worked day and night (helped by Lidia) to paint, move walls, sort out plumbing …the list goes on. I eventually got quite ill and spent 6 weeks recovering. But hey, onwards and upwards (LMAO). Now this Joe Sultana is a crook there’s no other way of describing him. While I’m away he persuades Lidia (my partner) to pay him €50 cash for utilities?? First of all that wasn’t our utility consumption, secondly he was taking advantage of a lady, and this Crazy Brit draws the line there.

We have a contract I stick to the contract, he completely ignores a contract ‘that his attorney’ drew up. He arrives without warning demanding rent, bawling and shouting in front of my customers. I try to calm him down, “I’ll go to the bank and get your €600 (I don’t keep that sort of money in my back pocket)”. He also wants a utility bill paying (a bill for supply before I even moved in). I am in grave danger of losing my temper and believe me if that happens I wouldn’t want to be around.

Now when I came to Gozo I came to rest, relax, heal and retire. I’d had a pretty rough time with my ex-wife in Texas, she took me for every penny I had, and I arrived with very little money in Gozo at the start of May 2016. But I worked hard and made something, not just for me but for society. Now Gozo is going to experience another crusade because I have absolutely nothing to lose. I have named and shamed everyone so far. I will continue until this place is running in a way to deserve its place as the leader of the EU…we shall see??

PEACE & LOVE

We talk about Peace and Love but how do we find it?

This week has been full of surprises some good some not so good. Technology and noise have been a major distraction. I’ve had unexpected offers of money, not yet taken, only to find that a company I was working with on my blog is a scam and had been withdrawing money from my account. Money has never been of particular importance to me so long as you have enough to do the things you want is really all anyone needs. So I realised that if I just sit back and allow nature to take it’s course then things will become far less stressful.

I found a site all about forests, just watching the video made me calm and I realised it’s been such a long time since I truly submersed myself in nature. The healing forest click here is a wonderful idea and makes me want to leave right now and get into the forest. The only problem? There are no forests and very few trees here. My life right now is amazingly complex, I came to Gozo to ‘retire’ and not to get involved in something that would take even more of my time and energy. I’ve worked since I was 15 and now I’m 65 soon to be 66 that’s 50 years of work! (Now the mind may be OK but the body is very tired), so I think I should take the time to recharge these batteries. Having watched the movie ‘Healing Forest’ I think my plan to go to the ashram in Bali next year is the best idea I’ve had for a very long time.

SURE GOZO IS A LOVELY PLACE BUT CAN YOU SEE ANY TREES?

When I get to the ashram I know what to expect. I’ve spoken to the people there on Facebook and they’ve become my friends (good people). I’ve even seen inside the bamboo huts thanks to Gayle a young lady who published her video. But most of all Bali and the ashram is where I will find my Guru, my teacher, my brother and friend Prabhu. The teashop is the place (which with love and care) I believe will run easily and make a profit so..With all this why am I still here when I can find PEACE there? That’s because of LOVE.. I have to stop here until the projects I’m working on will work on their own or with very little intervention from others. I run a small teashop The LOVE teashop. That small teashop will become something important one day.

The LOVE teashop soon getting it’s new sign

This island of GOZO is full of surprises, it has good people and like anywhere else bad people, but trying to sort out the wheat from the chaff is really draining so it’s time for the young’uns to take over. I know I would have loved the challenge a few years back but now I need to GO. So Bye Bye for now..

WELCOME TO THE CRAZY BRIT BLOG

Featured

Hi there, before we go an further I want to say it’s not me who thinks I’m crazy it’s other people. I hope and believe that’s not bad crazy, its just that I may say some crazy things, so don’t be offended. I’ve been writing blogs for a few years now, but really just for my own amusement, and to get stuff off my chest. Only yesterday I went to group meditation and our teacher agreed with me that writing helped to clear my mind and be ready to meditate. So whilst I’ve accused myself of rambling in the past, it’s been for a good reason “MY PEACE”. First of all before we start on this journey I think it would be good to know a little about your companion, (that’s me):

: The Crazy Brit (OK the pictures a bit old, but I still have that shirt)

: And this is my only tattoo (naughty but nice)

I describe myself as a “Christian Buddhist” on Facebook (haven’t we all got Facebook nowadays). Saying this is a religion is in itself a misnomer ‘cos I don’t accept Buddhism is a religion, and I think even “The Buddha” would agree (but we can discuss that later).

I was born a Christian, so it gets a little complicated and is too long a story as to how I found Buddhism. So today is by means of my introduction and will become my one and only blog (sighs of relief). Here I will re-post not only past blogs, (that I consider worthwhile), but all of my future posts. So enjoy and smile (do you know it takes fewer muscles to smile than frown). If you don’t enjoy reading these then just stop. All I would ask from you, in return for me “opening my soul” is for you tell me what YOU think because it’s only with your comments (good or bad) that I know what everyone wants. So please fill in the comments box below and any special requests you make will be answered, but no candid nude photos of me, sorry ladies, (but there’s no point making a big thing out of a little thing like that).

Today has been a great day, and I continue to learn a lot about this magical island and my village of (No I’m not saying were I live because I don’t want this peaceful village overrun by all you cheapskates). In my previous life working in Texas, the job I had was in Marketing and Public Relations, that’s where I picked up all of the tricks of manipulation and one of the reasons I left, (perhaps I’ll write about that experience in another post). But one of the things I learned was that even though I spent a lot of $s advertising on TV, Cinema, Billboards, Radio, Facebook, Direct mail etc etc. the most effective form of advertising above all else (and with no cost) was and is word of mouth (people talking). Recently I’ve experienced the benefit of talking, apart from the people I’ve been talking to being locals, one of the other bonuses (apart from one or two guys) is that all of the these people have been attractive females, (a big bonus for the Crazy Brit). But wait guys like I said to Marica at Ta’Pinu pharmacy “why is it that all the attractive females here are all accounted for” yep sadly for me they are (I hear sniggers in the background tut tut). Hell I may be crazy, but I’ve still got some fire in my belly! even though it may need kindling. Anyway today I went to see my attractive doctor (yep she’s married), and Marica (who’s engaged) told me about a fab place in Gozo to buy my tea, and what a little gem it was. Vini-e-Capricci is in the Gozitano Agricultural village and it’s packed with wonderful goodies, chocolate, the best teas, coffee, wines and lots of other things, and all in a nice relaxing setting. You’ll see what I mean when you click the link (but please come back here)

What Marica did by telling me about Vini Capricci was not only help a poor crazy Brit, but it helped ‘Abraham Said’ develop his already thriving business (I hope I get a discount from Abraham when I next call in for this plug hint hint). I also realised that I could buy top quality products cheaper than I could anywhere (yep and you guessed it, I’d just placed an order in the UK over the internet for tea). I was so impressed with what they had in tea that I’m considering fulfilling a long held ambition of opening a tea shop. I almost opened a tea shop in Texas called The Crazy Brit (go figure). Over there I’d not only found the location, but I persuaded the mayor of the city (Keller), to do my ribbon cutting. In fact The Crazy Brit tea shop concept is still open on my Facebook, so I may use some of the ideas I came up with there for my tea shop if and when I open one here (if I can be bothered to get from behind my desk and do some real work). Unfortunately my now ex, in Texas has either kept or sold my collection of teapots and she refuses to enter into communication, although maybe if and when she reads this she will “reconsider her position” (name n shame).

But now the name for the Gozo tea shop.

I actually own the domain for TeaZme (no it’s not me launching a porn site, as was suggested in the US) It represents Tea Zen and Me, and is a place where customers can go and have either tea in a formal English tea shop setting, or go into the other room and enjoy the relaxation of herbal teas in a relaxed meditation area.

: my “special” teapot

Fortunately I did manage to bring with me one of the dozens of teapots I used to own, and that is my “special” little Chinese pot, that I only use for my special teas. I’ve plenty of other ideas and plans which I’m not telling anyone as I know with some of you lot someone will pinch ’em.So, just by talking I’ve found out a lot today.

Ray (who describes himself as a grumpy old git), has been messaging me through expat.com, and he gave me some great advice on opening a bank account. I was able to walk straight in and start the process without any problems, (and you’ll see the problems I’ve had when I re-post SMILING) which will be incorporated into this blog, along with all the others, so everyone can keep track, not that I’m expecting anyone to want to, but it helps focus me, (and I do admit I can be a bit random at times).

My Texas location

However, apart from the entertainment factor of my sharp, clever, but crazy wit (such modesty), I hope my posts will help anyone embarking on a new life, just as I have. I haven’t “retired” that sounds like I’ve been put out to grass. So remember, it helps to keep talking, but it also helps to keep reading and smiling. There’s a lot more writing to follow, but I’m sure you can only take so much of my ramblings at any one time. So I’ll say goodbye for now, and hope you’ll “come up and see me sometime” (as Mae West said)….PEACE & Love x

We talk about Peace and Love but how do we find it?

The Crazy Brit (OK the pictures a bit old, but I still have that shirt)

And this is my only tattoo (naughty but nice)

I describe myself as a “Christian Buddhist” on Facebook (haven’t we all got Facebook nowadays). Saying this is a religion is in itself a misnomer ‘cos I don’t accept Buddhism is a religion, and I think even “The Buddha” would agree (but we can discuss that later).

But now the name for the Gozo tea shop.