Found this photie when I was, as usual, looking for the recent phone photies, which are still somewhere indiscernible within the machine, cyberspace, or whatever. The photie above is of Cambusnethan Church from the Bowman's back door in Newmains. Takes one back, so it does.

                   Even with the usual hassle with the photies, the machines have not been so back right now since I seem to have been successful in applying for an Indian Visa. So screwed up have I been with this visa that I am not investigating this until tomorrow when I'll have put in a whole day's meditation first of all. Maybe that particular .... just wait till I have to look at it.

                    Trying to book flights, get visas, etcetera, has really marred the last few weeks for me. It's not as if I'm actually looking forward to any of these events I'm flying to, but I think I don't have to worry about anything else for a couple of weeks. Next year I'd love to spend several months camping down at the Samye Ling. No flights, no visas, no bugger all!

                    I was thinking of old age and Mrs Bowman yesterday. She had a long and very normal old age. She lived alone and only had visitors occasionally, usually at the weekend when some of her children might show up. She told me once that she found the days to be long, and I can sympathise with her on that.

                    By contrast, I feel as if I'm on the, or a, path. I really do. When I get a grip on my bad habits, particularly, the meditations are a huge boon. It takes a lot of effort, but just the experience of the bliss without any concomitant effects, would make it all worthwhile. Sometimes there have been wee difficulties, but these were generally to do with lifestyle, beliefs, etc. The meditations work. It says in The Bliss of Inner Fire that you might experience "explosions of bliss and emptiness." I'm not there yet, but I do feel like I am on the path, and slowly but surely I'm a-coming!