In Buddhism is the word ducca which is usually translated as “pain” or “suffering”. It refers to both the physical and mental suffering that are inevitable aspects of being alive. In a larger sense it refers to the general feeling of “unsatisfactoriness” that we all experience as we march through the endless vicissitudes of daily life. Much of Buddhist practice is devoted to learning how to react, or perhaps more accurately not react, to all of the difficult, painful experiences that are part and parcel of human existence. The ducca- generating experiences of life are guaranteed. How we respond to those experiences is optional.

On July 13 a crew of three tile installers subcontracted by Home Depot started the process of power-hammer blasting out about 1000 feet of Saltillo tile from our home. Great. Within four or five days (they said) they’d have the Saltillo out and our new porcelain tile installed. They did get all the Saltillo out (took four days), and they did start installing the new tile. On what turned out to be their seventh day of work the crew chief came to Martha and me. Problem. They were about 80% finished with the job, but the twenty-five boxes that they had left didn’t match the tile that was already installed.

Up until that point the ducca of home improvement had been of a more or less average pain in the neck, garden variety sort: three days with no air conditioning and one hundred degree temperatures while they blasted out the Saltillo and the air in the house filled with a fine red clay dust that is Saltillo returning to its true nature. No worries. We barricaded ourselves in the master bedroom, stuffed towels under the door, and melted under the ceiling fan watching DVR episodes of “The Young and the Restless”. The more significant problem is about the fact that Home Depot can’t match the tile because it’s been discontinued. So now it’s August 2, and we’re waiting for a new crew to come, hopefully this week, blast out the installed tile, and then start all over again installing the new tile that we’ve chosen. Since the 13th we’ve spoken to and met store managers and assistant managers, expediters and chief expediters, site inspectors, and installation managers. We’ve recalled repressed knowledge gained through experiences in this and past lives: some people are very good at doing their jobs and some aren’t; some people do what they say they’re going to do and some don’t; some people return your phone calls when they say they will and some don’t.

Since the 13th we’ve had a toilet sitting on the front porch because they’re tiling that bathroom. The washer, dryer, stove, and hot water heater are sitting on the back porch. Cold showers are stimulating in their own way, but a hot one would feel good about now. I’ve mentioned these inconveniences to my new friends several times. I have occasionally picked up Vibes of Compassion, but in general the whole lot of them seems to be uniformly devoted to helping me with the ascetic aspects of my Buddhist practice by teaching me the lessons to be gained through frustration, suffering, and patience in the face of adversity. Thanks guys.

You don’t need a monastery to practice Buddhism. All you have to do is wake up every day and get out of bed. I’m confident that one day this job will be finished. In the meantime we are comforted by the mantra offered by the television monk Frank Costanza: “Serenity now.”

tom elkins

Firethorn Temple

http://www.firethorntemple.com

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