Hi everyone I hope that you are keeping well. It’s a lovely sunny morning here today and on my way to work two ducks flew quacking over my head and higher up in the sky I saw a heron moving steadily along powered by its massive wings. Namanda …. namanda …

First up please check out an interesting and inspiring post by Rev. Gatenby over at E-Sangha about Shinran’s life of joy (you need to be a member to read E-sangha posts but joining is free).

The more formal aspects of my Shinshu path have been rather disrupted recently with my last scheduled visit to the temple (which is several hours away from my home) canceled due to illness, and other factors interfering with my daily routine and gongyo. At such times a lot of the outer superstructure of my ‘Shin lifestyle’ dissolves away easily; especially as I am a convert and haven’t soaked in the forms of the tradition since birth. This is a little disconcerting and sometimes makes little doubts appear as to what extent my path is something conjoured up from my own will and desire. However I’ve also noticed how, where it really matters, the teachings have sunk into my being much deeper than any outward forms. A constant light seems to shine upon and illuminate my thoughts and actions unbidden in a way it never used to. New perspectives arrive unsought, and, the nembutsu leaps up so freely. Structure and effort are very important in the path but in the times that those things fall down its wonderful to realise that the Power Beyond Self doesn’t abandon us and can be heard and apprehended in a myriad different ways.

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Strangely, after thinking yesterday about how faintly the forms of Buddhism are inscribed in my consciousness, I went outside this morning and saw a plant with its leaves curled up, glittering with frost and thought ‘It looks just like a vajra!’ It seemed kind of appropriate as for me the heart of my path has always been the diamond-cutter prajnaparamita teaching of “going, going, going ever beyond”, or as Dogen Zenji put it ‘realising beyond realisation’. There is no TRUTH that we can find, keep or lose. The way lies right before us here and now. Like a friendship we can rely on it, but its nature is dynamic … a relationship and a dialogue.