In gassho, as a start….by Hoetsu

My first posting to the spzg blog… Driving to zendo early on a saturday morning….. Speeding drivers, joggers, dog walkers, misty rain on and off. Heading west with the sunrise behind me. On the overpass crossing I95, I look up and see a line of clouds in a now clear sky running horizontally in front and above me, The clouds reflecting the light of the rising sun….. a pale rose pink in the midst of what is now an empty blue sky. SILENCE…………… I have been hit with sudden silence often in recent times, even in the midst of busy activity. Like heading to our zendo, at a table where i was sitting during a very noisy active wedding party or even at work in the midst of serious activity. Silence seems for me to be the basis for all activity. As I learn to be more mindful, silence seems to appear for me. When i become aware of the silence, I realize its always been there , the appearance of it is my waking up to it. Then I go back to sleep and lose it til next time. I have been corresponding with a member of our prison sangha for the past six months or so. He sends me essays and poems that he has written. He is agreeable to me sharing some of these pieces with the rest of our sangha and so I will be posting them here on occasion. I will be calling these items Works from behind the fence…… He will be taking jukai soon. Once that happens, I will credit him using his dharma name…………for now I will use his initial M. From Behind the Fence “I Meditate Now”

I meditate now because my sufferings hurt this whole universe because it shows the true self I meditate now to end the 3 poisons I meditate now because i can learn to love those who refuse to and smile with the ones who do I meditate now because now is all I have and with each moment I breathe with with the three treasures I meditate now because life is beautiful I meditate now because no matter what comes somebody needs me to help end their delusions I meditate now because I love my teachers follow the dharma and gassho to the sangha I meditate now because the moon speaks to me I meditate now to help heal mother nature with beautiful tears that kiss the ground where i sit We meditate now because Shakyamuni did and saw the deathless Because our ancestors did I meditate now because thats what I must do because I have vowed to save you M.