There is another kind of spiritual courage as well, quieter and less celebrated, but just as remarkable: that of making each day, in its most conventional aspects — cooking, eating, breathing — an oblation to the absolute.
— Philip Zaleski, From a New York Times book review. July 24, 1994.
Sorry, I can’t track down the actual review.
Years ago in the mid 1980’s I wrote a Journal article titled, To Proffer Abundant Oblations. I loved that word oblations, wonderfully expansive and all embracing.
Here is the definition of this phrase at the start of the article:
To offer for acceptance that which is intangible, in ample sufficiency, in thanksgiving to the Eternal Buddha.
Fancy cat, fancy ceremonial robe. Those golden ties so tempting. Briefly a paw flexes to pounce as I pick up the robe before the ceremony yesterday morning. Poised. The paw twitches again and…. No! Paw washing next. I’m not sure I can attribute this change to a deliberate decision on her part, non the less, I’m grateful she chose washing over pouncing.
A recent visitor reminded me of a helpful telephone conversation he had with one of the monks. He and his wife were caught between going to a retreat or standing by at their home to offer help to a small monastic community should the threatening forest fire come close enough to require evacuation.
Continue on with the original plan, while at the same time be prepared to change direction at any moment.
In the end they helped the small community. And, to maintain balance here’s a picture of their dog. Muji.
Muchie is a, mostly Siamese, Tortoiseshell Point. Muji? A miniature Schnauzer. Both are special needs animals.
Jean’s hands, Jean’s handiwork. And Jean, inspired sewing teacher at Berkeley Zen Center. Detail of the Namu Kie Butsue Stitch on face and reverse side of the small kesa in the Shunryn Suzuki Linage.
“namu” Means “homage”
“ki” means “to plunge in”
“e” means “to rely on”
In English Namu Kie Butsue translates as “I take refuge in Buddha”
With every stitch made during sewing the small kesa the refuge in recited, I’m presuming silently.
While the small kesa I wear and Jean wears are sewn quite differently, mine machine stitched and hers hand stitched, there is not a stitch that separates in the deepest sense. A few hours sitting in her sewing class was a very relaxing end to a magnificent morning when we celebrated the Festival Memorial for Zen Master Dogen, who extols us to study in detail.
As well as being introduced to several nifty sewing aids I learned, under Jeans compassionate tutelage, how to sew the Namu Kie Butsu (kyakushi)Stitch. Having a teacher rather than following instructions was a real boon. What really impressed me however was the attention to detail at every level, and at every step in the process, of sewing the small kesa. There’s much to take note of.
I’ll probably sew a full kesa by hand one of these fine days and I’ll be using the stitch I learned today. And I’ll remember with fondness the balmy summer afternoon I spent sewing with fine company.
Bows of gratitude to Jean Selkirk compiler of Buddha’s Robe Is Sewn, instructor, and all round enthusiast for attention to detail.
We must be
The change we wish to see
In the world.
Mahatma Gandhi
Found on the paper tag hanging from a Celestial Seasonings tea bag, English Toffee flavour I think it was.
This quotation was used by my monastic colleague during her Dharma Talk today
when making the point that one endeavors to be the Precepts, to be Compassion.
Days With My Father is an intimate personal journal about the life of a father and son, from the time of the mothers death to that of the father. Together they lived and laughed. There’s a combination of photographs and text put together in a most creative and powerful way. The design is credited to Fashion Buddha. Good job.
The navigation from page to page is somewhat unusual. If you move your mouse to the bottom of each image, you get a clickable strip with takes you to the next image and commentary. Sometimes there is no strip, so just click at the bottom of the page…and see what happens. If you take the cursor to the left side of the page and click you find thumbnail size images of all the photographs.
At the end of the journal there is an opportunity to leave a comment. I’ll do that when I have more time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Fun too.
Many thanks to Julius W. in London for pointing me to this site.
