Buddhism

There are many silly pop notions of Buddhism. There are diletante Buddhists who reside in ivory towers. I no longer call myself "Buddhist" because I understand that Buddhism is a state of being. Yesterday I encountered natural Buddhism on the telephone. 

She works for a large utility company in customer service. I needed to set up new service at my new address and discontinue service at my current address. Speaking to customer service personnel is part of moving. Long waits. Elevator music while on hold. 

Her voice was different. A mild New-York-Hispanic accent. She was very efficient. Unlike others, she listened and did not ask me to repeat every piece of information multiple times. As we were wrapping up, she said, "Congratulations on your new home." After thanking her, I made a passing remark about the expense in time and money in moving. She responded neutrally, "Every action has its consequences." 

This lovely young woman embodied a basic Buddhist practice of being fully present in the moment with me and being conscious of the principle of cause and effect. It was a rare encounter in these times.