Every place can be a temple
When I arrived this morning David was hidden behind his oxygen mask again. So I sat beside him and listened to all the noises of the hospital. Modern digital hospitals are full of bleeps, beeps and bops. Different kinds of monitors are following every heart beat and respiration with graphics and beeps. And since another patient with a heart condition has arrived in the bed beside David there is a new sound - a kind of drum. The drum reminds me of the mokujo we use during chanting. So this morning, while I was sitting near the bed and listening to all the sounds, I almost automatically followed the drum and started with nembutsu just loud enough for David to hear, for 20 minutes chanting Namo Amida Bu, guided by the noises of the hospital. Every sound has its role: the drum of the 'mokujo' the beeps of the monitors like meditation bells, the sizzle of David's oxygen... a long on-going, whispering chant. Every place can be a temple to practise nembutsu.
Milestone
Later today they removed all the wires from David's body. Quite a milestone! David made a few steps out of the bed. He is very tired. The critical emergency situation is gone, so it is a bit like a heavy burden has now fallen off.
The doctor told us today that they want to make a full body scan of David and an echo from his feet to find the source of the thrombosis. Tomorrow afternoon we will hear when he is going to have these tests.
Englishman
After I had read all the new personal messages, David spent most of the day dozing and reading poetry. I brought him new poetry books from his library at home. And, yes, of course, he spent time drinking tea. David has convinced the nurses that he is a real Englishman, because I took our own teapot to the hospital. In the afternoon they even delayed his oxygen treatment so that he could finish his cup of tea as they know that no real English person can survive without his cup of tea.
Replies
The image of David in a French countryside hospital making the nurse waiting for the english man to finish his mug of tea... what a skillful means ! Lots of love from Wangmo and I.
Thanks Elija for the good news. Hope David will getting better every day. With the nembutsu and a pot of tea I think that that will be no problem. Love and light for your two.
Please continue to recover David . Love to you both .