Wow, I totally had my purse snatched last Thursday. It got me thinking about a lot of stuff.
Anyway, there I was, leaving one of those timeshare vacation presentations. You know, the ones where they give you two free nights in Big Bear or Vegas if you sit through an hour and a half pitch? I need a vacation so I took the plunge. Afterwards, there I was, walking to my car on Ventura Boulevard in Encino, California (a pretty upscale neighborhood) when a nice looking young fellow asked me directions to Roscoe Boulevard. Now, Roscoe Boulevard is far, far away from Ventura Boulevard. It's sort of like being in Chicago and wandering around looking for Pismo Beach.
"Poor young man! How lost he is!" I thought to myself. And then, BOOM! as I am gesturing in the general direction of Roscoe Boulevard, he grabs my purse and starts running away. He stumbled and fell down, which is when I should have kicked him in the soft parts, but honestly, I was just too stunned. Then, he got up and ran into a waiting late-model car. "There's nothing in it, Asshole!" I cried after him, "I have no money!" Which wasn't exactly true. I had a $20 bill and a few pounds of loose change. How annoying. Fortunately, I had a spare key in my car. I went home and got on the horn, cancelling all my cards and my checking account. Fortunately, my social security card wasn't in there. This week, I must go to the DMV and get a new drivers' license. That's always a character-builder.
The next day at work, I told my friends about the incident. They seemed uniformly amazed that I wasn't more upset or agitated. Well, what good would that have done? But the fact that people kept remarking on my demeanor when talking about it kind of got my interest. I mean, was I supposed to suffer over this incident? Why? Was the calmnesss with which I faced this incident a by-product of my Buddhist practice, or was I just thick?
I'll tell you what did bother me....the young woman at the Wells Fargo Bank who kept insisting that she couldn't give me a new check card without ID and I didn't have any ID. Now she was as dense as poured cement, and that bothered me. Ultimately, a manager intervened and I got my card. I got over it pretty quick and it just became a sort of "dumb bank bureaucrat" joke to tell my buddies when I got back to work from that adventure.
Would I have been more bothered if I had been richer, or if I had more credit cards? I've never really been richer, so I don't know. Would I have been more upset if i didn't have a daily Buddhist practice? It's been so long since I didn't have a practice that I don't know that either.
Hmmm...well, this has given me a lot to think about. Has anyone else here learned to deal with "stuff" better as a result of thei practice, and if so, what? This incident has made me curious.
Be vigilant, be calm, be cool.
Byrd in LA
I got fired from my job last June. Matter of fact I got fired on June first. I called my Area YWD leader and asked her to join me at LAFC for a toso. She couldnt make it, but she and everyone else were so shocked at how I handled it. truth be told the job was a bunch of stress. I loved the pay, but didnt enjoy the owner looking over my shoulder everyday.
Posted by: Gigi at July 14, 2007 11:19 PM"I'll tell you what did bother me....the young woman at the Wells Fargo Bank who kept insisting that she couldn't give me a new check card without ID and I didn't have any ID. Now she was as dense as poured cement, and that bothered me."
LOL. My wife lost her all her ID cards. Replacing those were fun. To replace this card, she needed that card. Well, that is the short version.
We dealt with several bureaucrats. That is the Loving kindness cultivation becomes very useful. My wife kept asking me why all those people were being so kind and helpful to us.
We dealt with the Momence police, the Filipino Embassy, the Illinois Drivers License Bureau, the US Post Office, the Kankakee County Court House, The Kankakee County Clerk, and the US Dept of Homeland Security --all but the Embassy in one day -- spreading joy in our paths.
Byrd:
What an amazing spirit you have. You handled this situation with such class and dignity. I'm embarassed to say that I would not have been so peaceful and forgiving.
I guess where we differ is that even at 56, I am in fabulous shape and can beat a month of Sunday's out of most men, even those half my age and much bigger. My first reacxtion would have been to chase that thief down like the dog he is and perform a serious case of whup-ass.
Next, as an experienced occultist (and lacking that "loving kindness, turn the other cheek compassion") I would have laid out my magickal implements, including my newly fashioned wand, and placed a curse on this man. Some people might laugh at me here and think that I've read one too many Harry Potter books, but I was clasically trained in the magickal arts. We're not talking about the power of suggestion here, nor am I suggesting some silly TV conception, but rather the power of the Will and initiate conjuration of the most curious kind. I would not blast them into oblivion, just make their life miserable.
Maybe, when I finally get an opportunity to write another blog, and not up-against-the-wall marketing my new book, I'll share a story or two with ya'll about magick.
To sum up, Byrd, you're a far better person than me as evidenced by your level-headed handling of this. My conditioning would have been to attack and subdue forst, and ask questions later.
Charles
Posted by: Charles at July 15, 2007 09:17 AMByrd,
Congratulations!
Last tear we moved to a new town. My wife lost her purse in front of the high school. Before my wife could finish calling her credit card companies, there was a knock at the door, and it was the Yucca Valley Police Department, returning my wife's purse to her intact, leaving my wife with a renewed spirit.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at July 15, 2007 10:29 AM(and lacking that "loving kindness, turn the other cheek compassion")
Chuck, I am curious how you thought 'turn the other cheek' got in there? It is more like the sword shatters in their hand. Or sometimes, one stands back out of range, like Fukyo. The Buddha defeated Mara's arrows with metta-waves. Nichiren froze a boulder that was thrown at him in mid air, using the power of Jihi. Ji = metta {amity, good will, kindness} = Hi = karuna {compassion}.
with palms together
robin
Posted by: robek at July 16, 2007 02:42 AMRobin:
I know you're right! The "turn the other cheek" reference is the long-suffering resignation to the indignations some folk heap on others.
Speaking of your examples of palms together, greeting agressors and tribulations, I actually do have a couple of compelling experiences of being attacked and with palms together, ichinen permeating the landscape, and amazing things occuring. Unfortunately, it's all too easy for me to devolve into commando mode. It's something I'm working on and not real proud of. Metta waves...a fist upside the head...which one will hurt more, I wonder? See, there's my problem again.
Charles
Posted by: Charles at July 16, 2007 07:53 AMYou should have kicked him in the soft parts and the hard parts if you were able to, and hopefully got your purse back. As far as the hassle with the cards I wouldn't expect anything less.
ch