restlessness

Review The Journey – James Norbury

What a cute little story, based on Buddhism and the truth that change is inevitable. In ‘The journey’ James Norbury describes two friends, Big Panda and Little Dragon, who live together in perfect harmony in a small temple high up in the mountains. They have been living there for quite some time and made numerous friends in the forest nearby.

Restless

But Little Dragon feels a bit restless, lately. He doesn’t know why and what causes these feelings. All he knows he’s not as happy as he was before. He asks his best friend Big Panda for advice. Big Panda acknowledges his problem. Yes, this is something big and he needs to take his time to think of an answer. A few days later he offers that it’s time for a journey. It will  be a change for both of them. Reluctantly Little Dragon agrees. He can either accept his restlessness or he can try to do something about it.

Journey

As with every journey, whether it is physical or emotional, there will be obstacles on the way. The two friends encounter lots of them as they travel along the river. Up to a point when Little Dragon has had enough. He wants to return to where he came from. Now comes the biggest challenge of all. Nobody can return to the past. We can never go back in time, neither can Little Dragon. He gets depressed when he thinks of his old life and his old friends.

Acceptance

Until one day he remembers that he can make this new life miserable by living in his past, or he can make changes for the future, or he can make the best of today. He looks around him. All of a sudden the sun starts shining. He finds himself surrounded by new friends and beautiful mountains. And what do you know, there is even a bigger, nicer, abandoned temple up ahead.

James Norbury

James Norbury has written and drawn pictures since he was a small child. But it wasn’t until he was looking for spirituality when he discovered the teachings of Buddhism. He wanted to share its wisdom and Zen stories with the rest of the world. His books about the Big Panda and the Little Dragon were born. Beautifully illustrated it’s a joy to pick them up again and again.