Well, here it is another Monday. Today we had a short PT session because we had to go to a change of command ceremony. It was for the brigade Command Sergeant Major- this was the first time I had seen either one of them, and that's not a bad thing. Not that I think they're doing a bad job, or any such thing. Actually, it's because on my level, I have such little contact with the brigade-level powers that be. If someone goes to brigade, it's because you either really screwed the pooch or did something really great. Thus, I know very little about the brigade. I know where it is, and that sometimes command decisions come out of there, but that's about it. Such is the Army.
Apart from that, I can now add to the list of tattoo artists I can recommend from experience- one Jeannie Cloud, late of Lawton, OK. She does good work- pictures to follow when I figure out how to put them on here. (Don't hold your breath, guys). I had one done this weekend, which was a little more in-depth than the last one I had, a simple Tibetan script. It was the mantra of Green Tara, I believe the language is Pali, though it may be a Tibetan derivative thereof. Pali, if memory serves, is native to India. However, I recognize it, and can usually decipher which mantra it is. (There are various mantras for various Buddhas, each one posessing unique characteristics). My patron deity has always been Green Tara, however. Traditionally there are 21 manifestations of Tara, and the story goes she was created from a tear of Avalokiteshvhara, who has a thousand arms. These thousand arms make him more than a formidable ping-pong player, as they are meant to deliver aid to any suffering being anywhere in the world. When he saw how much suffering was in the world, the story goes, he began to despair of ever curing it all, and shed a single tear. From this tear was born Tara, who was able to kind of pick up the slack as far as helping sentient beings was concerned.
Apart from that, I can now add to the list of tattoo artists I can recommend from experience- one Jeannie Cloud, late of Lawton, OK. She does good work- pictures to follow when I figure out how to put them on here. (Don't hold your breath, guys). I had one done this weekend, which was a little more in-depth than the last one I had, a simple Tibetan script. It was the mantra of Green Tara, I believe the language is Pali, though it may be a Tibetan derivative thereof. Pali, if memory serves, is native to India. However, I recognize it, and can usually decipher which mantra it is. (There are various mantras for various Buddhas, each one posessing unique characteristics). My patron deity has always been Green Tara, however. Traditionally there are 21 manifestations of Tara, and the story goes she was created from a tear of Avalokiteshvhara, who has a thousand arms. These thousand arms make him more than a formidable ping-pong player, as they are meant to deliver aid to any suffering being anywhere in the world. When he saw how much suffering was in the world, the story goes, he began to despair of ever curing it all, and shed a single tear. From this tear was born Tara, who was able to kind of pick up the slack as far as helping sentient beings was concerned.
Another story tells that Tara was a princess. She studied the Buddha's teachings, but then heard that women were inferior, and thus to attain true enlightenment, she would have to be reincarnated as a man. The hell with that, she said, though not in so many words, and vowed to remain female until all beings were brought to enlightenment, and to help them along the way. Thus, either way Tara is one of the kind of readily present Buddhist deities, and at the same time kind of a no-nonsense type. I admired this the first time I heard the story, and deep meditation has revealed her to be both a formidable force and a wise guide and protector.
At any rate, this is the rationale for the tattoo I had done, and its placement. It's something of a take-off on the well-known Three of Swords from the Rider- Waite Tarot deck, though a little more colorful and three-dimensional. It looks pretty good, if I do say so myself, a credit to the artist that put it there. It's right under Tara's mantra, which I've worn on my right arm for better or worse. This card, to me, has always seemed to pop up in readings. But never in a bad position, or carrying a negative message. Always, it's seemed to mean that no matter what, there's a grain of truth to take away from this. What you may learn depends not on how much you suffer, but what you do with that suffering. Pain, after all, is pretty relative. If you can see through the illusion to the core of the matter, you'll find often that things are not as bad as they seemed at first glance. And this was often the answer I would get from Tara- not, "okay, let me take all your problems away", but rather, "figure it out- there's something you need to know here. I can show you the road, but it's up to you to walk down it". And that's why that seemed appropriate- because both of these remind me that behind it all, there's some kind of purpose, even though it's not always easy to see.
At any rate, this is the rationale for the tattoo I had done, and its placement. It's something of a take-off on the well-known Three of Swords from the Rider- Waite Tarot deck, though a little more colorful and three-dimensional. It looks pretty good, if I do say so myself, a credit to the artist that put it there. It's right under Tara's mantra, which I've worn on my right arm for better or worse. This card, to me, has always seemed to pop up in readings. But never in a bad position, or carrying a negative message. Always, it's seemed to mean that no matter what, there's a grain of truth to take away from this. What you may learn depends not on how much you suffer, but what you do with that suffering. Pain, after all, is pretty relative. If you can see through the illusion to the core of the matter, you'll find often that things are not as bad as they seemed at first glance. And this was often the answer I would get from Tara- not, "okay, let me take all your problems away", but rather, "figure it out- there's something you need to know here. I can show you the road, but it's up to you to walk down it". And that's why that seemed appropriate- because both of these remind me that behind it all, there's some kind of purpose, even though it's not always easy to see.
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