Fungi is the taxonomic kingdom including yeast, moulds, smuts, mushrooms, and toadstools; distinct from the green plants. From WordWeb.

Captured during the canal boat trip back in August.

Held by the chap who I became difficult with...on the canal boat, on the boat trip, in August.

Found by a follow monastic at the bottom of a garden he tends. They just popped up this morning, he said.

I like to think my interest in yeasts, moulds, smuts, mushrooms and toadstools are part of what helps us keep connected, Jade readers connected anyway. Certainly these photographs, the stories behind them, trace connections with a whole bunch of people, most read here. And if I were to go into the learned department, which I'm not, I suspect fungi is responsible for keeping the earth habitable.

Perhaps Walter in Singapore has something to say on the matter.

I'm so delighted to point you to the work of a Dutch artist, a practicing member of the OBC community in The Netherlands, who has created a wonderful contemplative space in a nursing home in Delfshaven. The site has just recently been translated into both English and German and is, in turn, the work of another Dutch woman artist in our congregation. What talent! I've known them both for many years, I can't say enough good things about them. And here is a link to the home page of the site I'm referring to. Great poem from Basho on there

'There is little place for reflection in our society, so what I had in mind was to literally and figuratively make room for quiet contemplation here, in the middle of a busy nursing home in multicultural Delfshaven Rotterdam.' Meulendijks decided not to place a work of art in the space, but to make the space itself into a work of art. The goal was to create a place that excludes no one due to religious affiliation or physical challenges. First, she constructed a detailed model to adapt the existing space to these purposes. She altered the structure and layout and employed motifs from religious architecture to create a visually subdued, serene experience for visitors. Her choice to use circle and dome patterns, as universal spiritual symbols, places the emphasis not on our differences but on the shared human experience of an inner life. All the same, Meulendijks designed mobile furniture and liturgical objects to allow different religious groups to temporarily tailor the chapel to their specific needs. In addition to traditional craftsmanship and handwork, the artist and her team also made use of anachronistic details in the chapel – not in an attempt to resurrect the past, but rather to make all sense of time disappear.

The result is a public space that gives visitors the seclusion they need to listen to the silence.

From The Zorg Compas Chapel, Rotterdam.

See more of Ingeborg's work and schedule of exhibitions on her web site.

Andrew Taylor-Browne | Read

Andrew with carving
Following a variety of related careers as an academic, a management consultant and a director of an international law firm, Andrew no spends most of his time tending the various animals, gardens, wildlife, woodland and numerous visitors at his and Julie’s 65 acre farm in Cornwall.

He has been practicing in the tradition of the OBC for nearly 20 years and has been a Lay Minister with the Order for 16 years.

He has a particular enthusiasm for the issues of sustainable living, deep ecology and all things to do with wood, trees and woodland.

Jim Riis | Read

Left to right, Muji, Nancy, Jim.
I am a happily semi-retired psychotherapist living with my wife, Nancy, on the north coast of California. We enjoy tending our garden and taking beach walks with our dog, Muji. Over the years, I've enjoyed traveling in Morocco, Mexico and Europe.

My work history in social services includes counseling, corrections, delinquency prevention, and community organising. A Buddhist practice has been helpful in these endeavors and has likewise helped my practice. They are inseparable.

In 1987 I took the Lay Precepts with the OBC and have since become a Lay Minister in the Order. I benefit greatly in my studies with Reverend Master Mugo.

Behind the scenes much has been happening. Emails back and forth. Phone calls. Words of encouragement and some cajoling too. Fingers have been typing, minds have been exercised. Hearts are opening like flowers.

Very soon there will be a tab under the banner image which will read Contributors. Click on that and you will meet people, initially two and later more, who I have asked to write for Jade.

This is an experiment, I've been told Jade is an experiment. An exploration would suite better.

We say that in the beginning one trains for ones own benefit, later for the benefit of others. Later training is seen to be for both self and other.

In truth, however, in the beginning, middle and end there is just training. Could that be the exploration, the lively active encounter? Endless and without edges? There is a saying: Enlightened action leaves no wake. and There is no doer who does the deed nor one who reaps the fruit. And still there is the every present matter of action, responding, giving expression.

Thank you contributors. This development is an expression of Refuge. Refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Treasures all.

I tried to run the usual update for the content management system this afternoon and everything blew up!

From John in Houston

Yes there were a few hours of off-line time for Jade yesterday. And now you can see, everything is back to normal. Interestingly it is sometimes easier to say good by to something big like the whole site, potentially for ever, than a single post I've lost in the middle of writing it.

Thanks to John, your steady presence as web mentor is much appreciated.
(Uh, not quite out of the woods yet. I see a note about one or two problems with the instalation...)