At this time of year, when I make the transition from sunny Florida back to the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains, I usually go through a period of petulance--or withdrawal, I guess--in which I find myself missing the ocean very much. (Plus, it's darn cold up here on Mead Mountain Road!) But in my daily practice and study I am always encountering the word ocean: oceans of qualities, oceans of merit. I was recently reminded that Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche said my music echoed a line of verse in an aspiration prayer, because it carries "oceans of tones of melodic speech." And my own refuge name is "Dharma Ocean of Compassion." So I am remembering that we all carry the ocean within us. Which is a wonderful thing to remember. The act of missing, of yearning, can often lead to these bright moments of rediscovery: that we are all connected, that separation does not exist.
As the poet Kabir says, there is so much magnificence near the ocean....
Enjoy this track by Deva Premal and Miten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFUSEnIF5Ko
Photo: my favorite beach at Hobe Sound
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