A quick post to let you know that after a wonderful month at Bodhizendo, I'm packing today, and leaving tomorrow morning.
I'm headed to Coimbatore, which is a short 6-ish bus ride away, to meet friends of friends who have started an organic farm. I will probably be more reachable by phone and less by internet, but who knows! :)
I hope to write more about Bodhizendo and my next stop shortly!
Thanks to many of you for sending me updates and news! I really enjoy reading them, and do apologize for not really answering as I would like to!
Much love,
Caroline
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
in a zen world...
The Bodhizendo is beautiful like a Haiku.
You step into a courtyard embracing a soft Japanese garden and you get lost in the contemplation of its hills and valleys, its pond, its lotuses, its central tree whose leaves fall silently leaving a golden circle on the grass; the garden itself is taking your hand and leading you on an inner journey.
The place is quiet and smooth, it seems that everything is beautiful so that you don't need to wish to be somewhere else than here and now.
My Samu (service) is to take care of the courtyard garden every morning: sweep the fallen leaves and flowers, water the plants and then if there is time left, weed the flower bed around the garden, weed and pick up the leaves off the beautiful even grass of the garden. Leaves fall every day, plants absorb water everyday, so some tasks take time and have to be performed again and again even though they leave little time for the deeper, longer term work of taking weeds out. But still, I see progress every day, and some times, someone lends a hand and I can focus purely on clearing the flower beds and forget about the more superficial tasks.
Mountains echo
To the sound of temple bells
In the moonlight.
////
I have decided to stay longer in this haven and plan to be on my way towards the end of October.
The website of the Center gives information on what Zen is and Fr Ama Samy, our Zen Master, wrote several books about the zen way, including Zen Heart, Zen Mind, [also available in French], which I'm reading and thoroughly enjoying.
You step into a courtyard embracing a soft Japanese garden and you get lost in the contemplation of its hills and valleys, its pond, its lotuses, its central tree whose leaves fall silently leaving a golden circle on the grass; the garden itself is taking your hand and leading you on an inner journey.
The place is quiet and smooth, it seems that everything is beautiful so that you don't need to wish to be somewhere else than here and now.
My Samu (service) is to take care of the courtyard garden every morning: sweep the fallen leaves and flowers, water the plants and then if there is time left, weed the flower bed around the garden, weed and pick up the leaves off the beautiful even grass of the garden. Leaves fall every day, plants absorb water everyday, so some tasks take time and have to be performed again and again even though they leave little time for the deeper, longer term work of taking weeds out. But still, I see progress every day, and some times, someone lends a hand and I can focus purely on clearing the flower beds and forget about the more superficial tasks.
Mountains echo
To the sound of temple bells
In the moonlight.
////
I have decided to stay longer in this haven and plan to be on my way towards the end of October.
The website of the Center gives information on what Zen is and Fr Ama Samy, our Zen Master, wrote several books about the zen way, including Zen Heart, Zen Mind, [also available in French], which I'm reading and thoroughly enjoying.
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