Tayviews 4th March North Fife

Cloud blanket over Dundee and The River Tay 4th march.

Looking to the West, another glorious sunset, the adage "red sky at night shepherds delight" rings true, today was a wonderful sunlit day with only occasional cloudiness. The solar panels on the roof earned £6-64, saved 7.831 kg of carbon emission through production of 15.356 kWh of free electricity.

Phones4u St andrews North Fife

I had time to kill in St Andrews and wandered about noticing the throngs of visitors of many nationalities some of whom will have been students at the world famous university. Popped into this shop for a gander.

Phones4u shop St Andrews at 114, Market street,KY16 9PB.

Approached by a delightful lass Zara Duthie who went through her sales pitch which took into account of my phone and internet connectivity requirements.

Zara looking happy having made a sale.

Samsung Galaxy S5830GSM all singing/dancing smart phone using Android operating system is what I walked away with. It remains to be seen whether this was wise decision.

His Holiness 17th Karmapa performs the "Go-Ma" sacred Dance.

His Holiness Karmapa performed the "Go-Ma" sacred Dance during "Gutor" events in Bodhgaya, India on February 20th.

The Black Hat dance is an elaborate ritual that took many days to perform in Tibet. The purpose of the ritual is to eliminate the obstacles, which in the individual are the afflictive emotions and misconceptions that cause sufferings. At the beginning of the dance, the Black Hat Dancers make symbolic offerings of Gold Libation (tea) to the lineage Lamas, Tutelary deities (different forms of the Buddha) and Dharmapalas (truth protectors), in order to please them and receive their blessings.
As stated in the Vinaya, code of monastic ethics, the robes of ordination serve as a reminder that the person wearing them is fully ordained monk. In a similar manner, the Black Hat costume is worn by some Tantric practitioners to maintain the clarity and pride of arising in the wrathful aspect of a tantric deity. This divine confidence or pride serves a special funtion for the exclusive path of Tantra. The Black Hat dancers apply protective substances on their cheeks and forehead which give them the wrathful appearance of wrath. They exhibit this fierce aspect in order to tame the minds of sentient beings afflicted by such negative emotions of hatred, greed, and ignorance. They are not motivated by anger, but by the supreme love and compassion.

Toads North Fife 2012

Toads North Fife. About 25 years ago I created a garden pond that fills naturally from ground water. Frogs, Toads, Newts breed in abundance, as a consequence when the humidity and temperature are right at this time of the year, first toads appear littering the roadway, making their way to where they were born. Not the quickest of creatures many get squashed by passing traffic. The mating imperative springs into action with much croaking. I can feel the sap rising too.

A large female toad with a male suitor firmly attached quickly followed by another with 3 frustrated others, see below. Rampant wee beasties.

Meditation

I am often asked about meditation. This book is an excellent support and will point the way.

Mahamudra
The Moonlight—Quintessence of Mind and Meditation
Tashi Namgyal, Author
Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, Translator, Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Mahamudra meditation is simultaneously the most profound of meditative disciplines and the most accessible for modern practitioners. Traditionally passed orally from teacher to disciple, mahamudra instructions point the meditator to the innate perfection of every experience.

When it first appeared in 1986, Mahamudra: The Moonlight—Quintessence of Mind and Meditation was the first presentation in English of a major Tibetan Buddhist work on meditation. This classic guide was composed in the sixteenth century by an eminent lama of the Kagyu school and is so comprehensive and practical that it is still widely used today as a manual. Divided into two major sections, it presents first the common approach and then the mahamudra approach to tranquility (shamatha) and insight (vipashyana) meditation.

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It could be the best thing you ever did to buy now. Mahamudra: The Moonlight - Quintessence of Mind and Meditation

North Fife Tuesday 21st February 2012

The sky from between Brunton and Luthrie 21st February, soft cloud forms with leafless beech trees silhouetted, 5-30pm and getting dark.

Meanwhile below fertilizer being spread on the winter sown grain. Rural life goes on come rain or shine.

North Fife Tuesday 21st February

North Fife Tuesday 21st February, temperature about 10c and humidity having doubled overnight, misty with light rain and as I drove along an incipient rainbow was forming. Waiting for a good composition to emerge and 4 miles down the road it all disappeared. There's nothing quite like chasing rainbows.

The River Tay 19th February 2012

Sky over the River Tay 19th February, Oh how I really like them, each day different, not always powerful but lovely never the less.

Later more to the west, eye punching setting Sun.

Snowdrops North Fife

The common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis is the best-known and most widespread representative of a small genus of about 20 species. Snowdrops are among the first bulbs to bloom in spring and can form impressive carpets of white in areas where they are native as they have become here in North Fife.

North Fife Sky February 14th

I just love these skies, quickly changing in their beauty and colour.

Sundown over The river Tay.

Sun setting over Newburgh February 14th.

Amazing colour, I never cease to be impressed and captivated.

St Valentines Day North Fife

A traditional gift on St Valentines Day are roses. Below are pink ones for my lovers past, present and future.

Roses, wild ones. Grace and Gentility, the rose of sweet thoughts.
I'm sending pink roses to show my appreciation & gratitude; saying "Thank you". I enjoyed our time together, it's good to be on the wild side.

A red single red rose signifying Love at the first sight; you are the one. mmmmmmm.

A white Rose with a golden heart signifying "You are heavenly, I miss you" When will I see you again, when will we share precious moments?

A Peony. The traditional floral symbol of China and the 12th wedding anniversary flower, peonies are known as the flower of riches and honour. With their lush, full, rounded bloom, peonies embody romance and prosperity and are regarded as an omen of good fortune and a happy marriage. You'll know if it's for you honeybunch.

Well What Can I say. Happy St Valentines Day. XXX