Standing at a train station, seeing the tracks disappearing into the distance, has always held a special place in my heart. This is especially so at a station that I do not know, in a country to which I am a foreigner. The tracks remind of the days in my early twenties when I had a pack on my back and a ticket in my hand. The destination would have a name, but the place was unknown. The tracks, my sole possessions in my pack and that sense of going into the unknown represented a sense of freedom for me. An opportunity to let go and see what life was going to present to me. Unencumbered by life’s commitments, I was free to explore life, more easily letting go into what lessons were there to be learnt.
As we drop into the busyness of life, dealing with the likes and dislikes of what is happening around us and to us, the rememberance of that offer to let go usually escapes us…but it is always there. Easier said than done, but an invitation to let go into the current moment remains omnipresent - regardless of our like or dislike of that moment - and with that an exploration of an experience that we might otherwise have avoided or missed.
A small part of the fairy tale garden at the ‘Moss Temple’ or Saiho-ji, near to Kyoto.
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The temple is of Rinzai Zen Buddhist tradition. Visiting the temple requires requesting an invitation, and before being able to tour the grounds, copying out a Buddhist Sutra. Non Japanese speakers can trace the sutra characters.
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Beautiful, peaceful and as ever, not enough time.
Still some places available for the Gentle Men Discussion this coming Monday, August 29. I am holding two separate discussions at 11:00am(PST) & 4:00pm(PST). Spaces available at both times. For more information and registration, take a look at the invitation.
A facilitated discussion for and about gentle men - introverted and sensitive men who do not fully identify with the dominant macho expectations. What does it mean to be such a man in the world today? What have been your successes? What have been your struggles?
This will be the third such discussion that I have held. There’s no need to have been at the previous two to attend this one.
I don’t think that the kid in me will ever grow tired of rock pools, a window into another world. An early morning low tide coupled with the calm, resting ocean is a perfect place to find them.
