I’d quite forgotten. It happened while crossing the Bay Bridge on the way to San Francisco airport. That was nearly two months ago now. We were lining up to pay the bridge toll. A car in the next lane asked to get in our lane and go ahead of us. We indicated to let the vehicle in. When it came our turn to pay the toll there was no charge. The car ahead had paid.
Yes, I’d quite forgotten this event. Thank you stranger.
I found this quote among my notes and thought to share it with you. For many this will not be new, for others it will be.
The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. (One is unable to notice something – because it is always before one’s eyes.) The real foundations of his enquiry do not strike a man at all. Unless that fact has at some time struck him. – And this means: we fail to be struck by what, once seen, is most striking and most powerful.
Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, 1953, No. 125
So what’s to do?
Zen Master Dogen wrote To live by Zen is the same as to live an ordinary daily life. This is not an ordinary in the everyday kind of usage and meaning. I’d say it is an extraordinarily ordinary daily life. Please don’t think about all of this too much. Life is for living; being the best person you can be, breath by breath.
Seven days a week. Meditation-ceremonies-meals-community teas-business meetings-more meals and teas-washing up-walking in the rain-talking in the rain….singing in the rain! Then there is doing laundry-washing self-preparing for ceremonies-cleaning boots-sewing robes-answering emails-multiple refuge phone calls-lay ministry business. Not to mention-medical appointments-driving people to the airport-delivering cars for repair-shopping-non medical appointments. Yes and there is sleep too. Seven nights a week.
Then there is writing for Jade Mountains. This has to be in my spare time. This tends to be when everybody else is asleep. Everybody else is asleep!
Now that I’ve landed back in the monastery again postings are likely to be less frequent and responding to comments will be patchy at best. I’ll do my best to do what I can though. And thank you for leaving your comments by the way, all of them.
We watched Into the Wild this evening. The story of an idealistic young man’s adventure to Alaska. He didn’t return alive.
I encountered the book, Into the Wild, some years ago while staying in Vancouver, Canada. If I remember correctly I stayed up half the night reading it! When I was 19 I hitch-hiked up the Alaska Highway eager for adventure and the wilderness. Thankfully I survived the whole experience and eventually returned via the inland passage to Vancouver, and then onwards to New York and England.
Thank goodness for the enormous tolerance of my parents. Bless ’em.
Happiness is only real when shared.
As reported in the film the above was found among the writings of Christopher McCandless in the old school bus he died in, alone.
The country is plunging into deep conflicts and anarchy because the powers-that-be, as well as those who want to overthrow them, are trapped in the we/they dichotomy, violating the Buddhist duty to transcend the false illusion of self – the root cause of hatred and violence.
From an article in the Bangkok Post. The article is an interesting insight into politics in Thailand, where Buddhist teachings are at least talked about.
The article came to me in the post as an actual, old fashioned, newspaper clipping. The son of a congregation member picked it up in Bankok, gave it to his mother and she sent it to me. Written on the clipping was Mum, with an arrow pointing to the title: Power of the Void the Void of Power.
The life of this clipping is a reminder of how information still circulates the slow way. Bangkok by plane to the UK then by car/train/bus to a living room in Yorkshire. The Royal Mail carried it through it’s system and was eventually delivered by Brian our postman who works his round in this valley in Northumberland. Even more amazing is that I can Google Bangkok Post October 28 2008 Ekachai and now share the article with you on-line.
Yes, I do still marvel at this kind of thing.