- Walking Away – Luck or conditioned co-production

I was involved in a collision on the motorway a few days ago. I was hit from behind by a lorry which sent me into a spin where (I am told) I hit barriers on both sides of my carriageway and was hit by a car which couldn’t stop. My memory takes the form of flashbacks mainly of being in the cab spinning and turning over and as I hear the bumps bangs and scrapes and sound of cracking and smashing glass like bursting ice. The car righted itself and I was able to open the door and walk out in one piece. Apart from very minor injuries which after four days are healing very well I was unscathed. Except for the mental and emotional damage. This latter has stalked my dreams and waking thoughts and was given fresh impetus yesterday when I went to collect my things from the pound and I saw the vehicle again. It looks worse than I remembered but the basic cage and cockpit area was largely intact which kept me safe even through 360 degrees. What a testament to the build of the car. What a testament to something else which I can scarcely name but which takes me towards karma and a strong connection with the benevolent forces of the universe embodied in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Or not. What some may say is luck is just another expression of the complex concatenation of forces, causes and consequences which go towards producing any event, what is called conditioned co-production or pratityasamutpada. Nonetheless I feel lucky and blessed. And still a little dazed and in shock.