Well, the big news today is that Elja's laptop has gone completely dead. We took it into town to the repair shop and had complicated discussions in a mix of Dutch, English and French and the upshot is that they will have a look at it and we will know
Yesterday some of the volunteers in the hospital asked me if I wanted to join the Catholic morning service. I did doubt for a moment. To be honest I can be quite uncomfortable in a church service - it depends upon the way the service is lead - but I
Yesterday Elja had her operation in the hospital in Netherlands. However, a mistake was made during the procedure and she has suffered some additional bone injury as a result. This means that her rehabilitation will take longer and be more difficult
My days all follow a pattern at the moment: writing in the morning and practical work in the afternoon. However, the weather has no such routine and after a few days of summer we are back into wind and rain in some quantity.
Today I decided to clean the meditation hall. I haven't been there a lot recently because it is so cold. It is an open hall. It has a good solid roof. It used to be barn and has a big barn entrance, but with no door. This means that it is open to the
This Easter morning after breakfast David decided to give a Dharma talk about the next sentence of the Summary of Faith and practice, about the 'one essential thing'. During the teaching David was talking about two great Buddhist teachers, Dogen the
Seventeen days ago I arrived in the monastery in Den Bosch. Time flies, it seems to disappear like water through my fingers. I forget the date, the day of the week and surprisingly the hours are dissolving like clouds in the sky. It is not that I am
Transmission Over breakfast we talked about the issue of spiritual transmission. In Buddhism this has been a hazardous affair. There are many instances of people being selected as “Dharma Heirs” who have then gone off the rails, causing all manner of
The weather continues to improve. We are now eating outside in the evening as well as the morning and the sound of bees accompanies us now in addition to the great variety of bird calls. Each day we spot new species - today a chaffinc
Sitting under the walnut tree I watch the full moon rising. The sun has set, the birds are settling, night is on the way. A great peace enfolds. Under the tree, daffodils shine amidst a carpet of wild spring flowers. I sip my tea and ponder. Yesterda
It is a delight and relief to see tiny fresh leaves growing on the lower twigs of the walnut trees. They all sent forth optimistic sprouts six weeks ago and then were hit by severe late frost, turning all black and forlorn. Recovery started at the cr
Sometimes i think that I have been travelling all my life. This is somewhat true, both literally and metaphorically. The endless spiritual journey takes one to ever new domains of life-meaning, especially if one is willing to take the risks that pop
In the States we celebrated Thanksgiving the traditional beginning of the season of conspicuous overconsumption, for no other reason than we can, though it is cloaked in turkeys and santa suits.
Today I did not set eyes upon another human being all day. That is not an unusual occurrence here. Life as a hermit is quiet. Sometimes my mind become very quiet in the midst of ll this tranquility. Nonetheless, I do like to keep abreast opf what is
The garden and land around the house is rather demanding these days. When the sun shines there is lots to do before the next downpour. Yesterday we had a whirlwind passed through. It only lasted half and hour or so but it bent the
After two months in Italy, teaching and learning, it was good to get back to La Ville au Roi and see that the walls and roof were still in place and nature had not completely taken over. Then, almost immediately, I had a trip to Belgium and Netherlan