Carnivals and Crystal Clarity
One warm summer evening I chanced upon a tiny old carnival in the parking lot of our nearby grocery store. You know the kind? They have attractions such as a twenty-foot Ferris wheel with banged up creaky cars, little kiddy cars filled with excited children going round and round on a little track accompanied by the latest Latino music. Everything is in miniature; there’s a small inflatable slide and little booths where you can throw baseballs to try to win a dusty stuffed bunny rabbit. Right at the center of the carnival is their main feature, the open sided trailer selling cotton candy and hot dogs. It reminds me of a meditator thinking about bodhichitta. Just imagine that you’re at the carnival… happy and just want to just squeeze the pink cotton candy because it’s also so sweet and fun. You have no responsibilities or worries. Just gathering energy and practically hugging yourself in this marvelous little carnival of your own making for arising the precious mind of enlight...