I’d not thought
Not imagined
It possible
To know
Profound peace
In the face of
death.Life/death
clouds/water
Flowing together
friends.
Unhindered.
The true Unsui?
Is as this.
Merit to all whose death seems untimely – by what means is a life span measured.
Note: The lenticular cloud (above) was floating close to the mountain casting a long unmoving shadow.
Happy New Year everybody.
Such a lovely black and cold night here. The sky was dancing with northern lights. Here are a few words inspired by Rev. Master Meian’s recent Dharma Talk, These Thousand Buddhas
Stretch Out Their Hands To Us.
I follow my headlights through the blackness.
To the north a thousand Buddhas
gaze at me with eyes like stars,
sparkling kindness.
They wear robes the colour of jade
and float weightless over the void.
They are forever.
Now I see them.
Yesterday I didn’t.
Tomorrow does not matter.
Michael Burrows, Alberta Canada.
One cannot stay on the summit forever —
One has to come down again.
So why bother in the first place? Just this!What is above knows what is below —
But what is below does not know what
is above.One climbs, one sees —
One descends and sees no longer —
But one has seen!There is an art of conducting one’s self in
the lower regions by the memory of
what one saw higher up.
When one can no longer see
One does at least still know.
René Daumal
The above has been carried by a woman for twenty years. The paper it is typed on is yellowing. I’m honored to have her permission, and trust, to publish here for others to appreciate. There is a knowing that we all share in – this is a reminder.
The mountain is not some far off distant place.
Clearly Mt. Shasta our close neighbour here at Shasta Abbey has moods. And equally clearly people have preferences when it comes to the mood of the mountain. Be that the Alpine Glow of the evening light as below.
Or the Perfectly Pink, over the top could pick it up and take it home, look which is one of my favourites. Thanks to the monk who captured these two photographs. And now I’m thinking of a correspondent who wrote recently of her fond memories of the mountain while visiting here some twenty years ago. Fundamentally it is the same mountain, as close as it was back then.
And just as with the mountain and the weather conditions which produce images redolent with feeling, so too with us. We show our moods in how we appear and in how we respond to those we encounter, conditioned by our own weather – mental, physical, emotional.
Of late I’ve been holding off a cold and I’m seeing myself responding to hands of concern and voices of sympathy and advice in a somewhat frosty way. The other evening I pulled a face so unlike me that I even shocked myself! Yes, I guess we would all like to appear as we would wish others to see us. If not perfectly pink at least something close to a glow. And certainly not appear such that others recoil in horror! As happened the other evening.
This post is for a cat who is struggling to live and for her care taker who appeared in my dream last night – her face a saintly glow. Oh and for my patient and caring fellows who can see past appearances. Thank goodness!
A late afternoon saunter with a fellow monastic walking companion. A lake-side saunter. Wonderful! The sound of water lapping gently on the shores of Lake Siskiyou! Double wonderful! Double wonderful because the lake has been not much more than a muddy puddle for several years. Now, water to the shore-line telling of the recent heavy rains. All is well with the world, very well. To have the lake restored to its deep watery glory is a boon beyond measure.
At times of drought in the almost long forgotten past in the East Buddhists priests performed a ceremony invoking the name of the Dragon King, who controls water, politely yet insistently asking for rain. We have records of such a ceremony and when push comes to shove, we use them. Does rain fall as a result of performing this ceremony? I’m not saying. Eventually rain does come whether due to the Dragon King’s good grace or not would be difficult to say. We Westerners can get overly squeamish around religious ceremonies at the best of times, praying for rain might just tip the balance, for some. So I encourage an attitude of creative doubt in this regard. In other words, best to keep an open mind.
Back in September we had been under threat from forest fires, we desperately needed rain. One night it rained. I remember hearing water dripping from the guttering outside of my room. I could smell the dampness coming in through my window. Next morning I was celebrant for morning service. It is our custom to say a few words as we offer incense at the start of the ceremony. I said thank you for the timely rain. Had I been asking for help from the watery dragons? Not at all.
What I can say is that sincere Buddhist practice, sustained over time has unseen and unknowable consequences. I’m content to not know and be grateful for what ever comes.
But you know, the idea of good-natured and generous dragons has a certain appeal. This post is for all those who are thirsty, for water or anything else.