Haircut Day

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I got my haircut today. I don’t know how long its been since I’ve been to a barber shop. I used to go to the hair salon and pay $50 including tip to get my hair cut. They would screw it up half the time. I didn’t trust barbers, though. When I was maybe 6, my dad took me to some place and they did a dutch boy job to my head. I was turned off to ‘cheap’ haircuts. As soon as I had my own money I started going to the salon and paying $50 including tip to get my hair cut (I know I wrote that before, up there, but I thought I’d try a refrain. Maybye I should refrain from refrains. Forgive me). So I eventually got glued to a guy named John Paul. He said that he used to be a roommate with Whoopie Goldberg before she got “too good for everyone”. He usually cut my hair pretty good except when his meds were out of balance. One time he completlely forgot to cut a quarter of my hair. I tried some other salons after that. I liked going to the girls who always told me that I looked like a model and had great hair. I only heard that when I was in a salon chair, for some reason.

After I started identifying with being a Buddhist I started using clippers to shave my own hair. I would often times time it in such a way that I could cut it just before I was doing something important to me in my practice . . . like going on retreat. You know, the Buddha shaved his head when he left the palace, a symbol of renunciation. Lately people have been saying to me, a couple, three people have said, ‘It’s time to let your hair grow out’. They say it with a heaviness that implies some forknowledge of right things to do. ‘It’s time’. So I went to the local barber shop with no fear. If they screwed it up I could just shave it off again. Dad wanted me to go to his barber. I told him I’d already picked a place out. He persisted, it was important for him that I go to his barber shop. No, I won’t go to your barbershop, I want to go to “Buzz Boys”. It hurt his feelings. I’ve never wanted to do what my dad has wanted me to do. I have always gone in exactly the opposite direction. That hurts his feelings. But these days I do tuck my shirt in and press my clothes. He always said that was important, “Make a good impression”. But I wasn’t going to go to his barber shop, no way. No shitin’ way. You should see me now. Infact you will see me now. I’ll put up a picture of my new head digs. The cut looks good, I’m pleased. I bet someone would higher hire me to be a computer programmer (or a proofreader) now that I look so good. Well, they can sit on it. I’m not looking. Thank you, Johnathan at Buzz Boys.

Rinpoche is teaching an intensive class on the Lam Rim to a group of us at Emaho. We are meeting twice a week at 8:00 at night and listening to his discourses until 9:30 or 10:00. I took this teaching before. The first teachings I ever took from Rinpoche were the Lam Rim. I didn’t even know what I was doing then. I don’t know now eaither, but then I think I didn’t recognize half of the words in the text. I hoped that eventually I would learn through osmosis. Just keep listenling and attending teachings, you’ll get it. That’s what I told myself. People sometimes criticize the Buddhist teachings for being repetative. For me it is great, it means that I will actually learn these things.

On Tuesday this week I sat down to one side of Rinpoche after the teaching. He asked me how my retreat was. I told him it was somewhat arduous but that it shed some light on some dark areas of myself. I certainly noticed that I never had a hard time on Rinpoche’s retreats. I always enjoy myself and get a lot of meditation in. Time just flies by. I told Rinpoche I was tired now. Rinpoche said, ‘Meditation should be relaxation. I guess you are tired of relaxing!’ Indeed. By Thursday I had just about recovered from the effort.