Dream #2 - The afterlife

A postcard from somewhere in Mexico

It began in a kind of nothingness, and then I was in a lovely meadow being greeted by my dad and my dog, Mr. Otto, from my childhood. In a bit, my mom and others joined us. The whole dream was about being oriented to what life after death was like, being taught the ropes about that.

What is it?

Thursday was the last day our teacher, Genpo Roshi, was going to around town for awhile so the zendo was pretty full for the evening teaching session. He didn't really have a planned talk  for the evening, although I think the producers of his videos wanted him to say some things that could be cut and used for various purposes ... probably introductory words about Big Mind. So he said he needed to warm up a bit at first and needed some questions.

Tell a Zen student she can ask any question of the teacher, and you're off. There was no shortage the whole evening, and we even went over time a bit.

Several monks wanted to talk about the identity of being a monk. One said he just didn't tell anybody he was a monk, but another said he told everybody. Roshi said that on airplanes and things he told people who asked him that he was a teacher. "What grade do you teach?" "Elementary students." "What subjects?" "The basics." He said he used to tell people he was a realtor and that he sold space. Little Zen jokes these.

My friend sitting next to me said she found herself pondering "What is it?" when she thought about being a monk. (You may see me here if you go view the video on ZenEye because I turned so I could look at her, and I know that the camera often catches things like that.) http://www.bigmind.org/Zen_Eye.html

Roshi answered that was a very good question and one worth sitting with. He said he had sat with that question many times. Of course, he told us the answer right there. The answer is "I don't know", but it's a Zen thing, isn't it, that what you have to do is to sit and sit and sit with the question until finally you arrive at the place where somehow you ARE the answer .... doesn't matter that you already know what the answer is.

As I wonder about the idea of being a monk, I want to know if I know what it is. I know I don't know right now. But I guess the thing to do is to sit and sit with it and eventually I'll come to the place where I can say "I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!!" and that will be that.

For awhile anyway.

It's a Zen thing.

Jizo Knitting Circle

I was late arriving at the Jizo Knitting Circle on Saturday; because I don't drive regularly in the winter, I tend to forget about things like planing extra time to scrape the ice and snow off the car so I can drive. There was a lot of both on the car Saturday morning. I even tore one windshield wiper off the arm trying to get it unstuck from the ice.

I hate to miss attending the knitting circle, and I want to be on time so I can get in on ALL the talking and knitting time. This week I missed about 30 minutes. It was all right, others arrived even later, It's just that I felt I missed out on every minute.

Kay started the circle a few years ago. I was not an original member, but I think I joined fairly close to the beginning. Kay always hosts it at her house, and she says she doesn't mind at all because the day is a highlight of her month. There are a lot of people on the e-mail list, but maybe 6-8 show up most of the time. New people are always welcome. I don't know how the folks who are not connected with the Zen Center found us, but several people did, and I am so happy to have friends from "other" places. But of course, now we are all friends via the Jizo circle.

Kay's home is totally lovely. She calls it "the little house," and it is kind of small, but it feels spacious. It's a mid century modern house in the upper avenues (very high up ... they can have different weather up there at times) which isn't terribly distinguished from the outside. She and her husband totally rennovated it so it now has new energy efficient doors and windows, is all nicely insulated and has fully modern "guts". The kitchen has big corner windows that look out on a great view of the city and the Oquirrh Mountains. There is a gas fireplace in the main room where we meet. The furnishings are minimal but comfortable and practical, Goldilocks style ... just right. Recently Kay's husband built her a tiny studio building out back where Kay does her caligraphy work.  Kay also plays the harp which sits in the main room. On saturday she played for us an "antiphon" that she recently composed which was just beautiful to hear.

People who attend don't have to knit. Some do crochet or embroidery. Kay and Claire often spin yarn with hand spindles. Some people often do charity projects, some seldom do that.

Late last year we did a group project where many of us (and many more who didn't attend the meetings) made small bags in various styles. Each bag holds a little mouse or other stuffed animal with a note that says "My name is .... Won't you be my friend?" We called them "critter pouches." Kay gave them to a place called the Children's Center. It's a therapeutic pre-school for kids  with mental heath or other behavioral issues (autism, for example). Kay says many of these kids cannot easily make friends and have very little of anything that is their own. The staff will carefully give the friends all away to the kids. We intend to make more.

We have also given things away to people with Alzheimer's, to a hospice and to the Catholic cathedral where they give things to homeless folks. It all depends  on what the knitter wants to make .. mittens and hats go to the homeless, lap robes to the hospice, textural scarves to the Alzheimer's people.

(Sherri gave me this Cascade 220 for free after getting it from somebody else. So I'm now making it into mittens to give away. There will be enough for a hat too.)


But the best part for me is the time spent with great friends. Jizo Knitting Circle day is a highlight of my month too.