Matchstick vase
Quite an eye opener to see what can be achieved with matchsticks and glue + dollops of patience and perseverance. This vase is one of a pair which is part of a mini altar set up. One can’t help but bow to the skill and stick-with-it drive that has people building these most amazing models. And make Buddha heads too! Amazing!

We applaud people with stick ability. The Olympic athletes, men with matchsticks (women too no doubt). This level of passion and drive is something else isn’t it. For example how about the chap in Southampton who spent 15 years making a replica of the Brent Bravo oil rig, attempting to get into the record books for the number of matches he had used. Unbelievable!

Nagging in the background though is the question – WHY? I ask this question mostly because I don’t seem to be made of the stuff of stick ability to something. Not in the way of devoting time and energy to a project sustained over time like these matchstick models. Building those huge and complex models out of matches takes commitment.

In this post on Field of Merit I pondered this whole matter of making manifest ones visions. The question of commitment, to stick with it after the initial enthusiasm and drive has faded, is interesting. As with sports training or model making so too with the day-in-day-out perseverance needed to manifest ones vision – there has to be something deeply satisfying in just the doing of it.

A round of applause for human endeavours. A pause to reflect on Precepts.

Field of Merit website banner photograph

I’ve been hinting in past posts that there is a project about to be launched which I am involved with. Well here it is…. fieldofmerit.org We opened the doors eight hours ago and we hope you will support our efforts any way you can. Why not be the first to leave a comment and sign-up for our monthly Newsletter for starters? Read the first two posts of our blog, read our About page. Let us know via the contact form if the pages don’t display correctly on your computer.

The photograph, which we are using as the website banner image, was taken in the grounds of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey a month ago. Newcastle had just had the devastating storm which left houses and businesses washed out, the black cloud to the right speaks of serious weather near by. Incidentally, when conditions calmed down, people were kayaking up and down the flooded streets! Everybody loves a bit of fun even in the midst of serious conditions. And why not?

Rev. Alicia and I have been working towards opening up our website Field of Merit and it’s great to see it go live for all to see. It’s the public face of our efforts to establish a new temple of our Order in Britain. Given it’s history the buttercup field seemed like a good photograph for our banner image. In my own mind I offer my best thoughts, spiritual merit, to the situation that unfolded at the time the photo was taken. No doubt people are still dealing with the aftermath of the flash flood that hit them so suddenly.

Perhaps those of you who have been visiting here, and early on Moving Mountains, or know me personally, will appreciate how significant this project is. There is enlightened self interest in that I’ll have a permanent place to live, eventually. More importantly though is the opportunity to collaborate with another monastic working towards providing a facility close to our hearts.