![\"\"](\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_niPwTW3rBbU\/SUEMf3vvU1I\/AAAAAAAAB78\/6CXuowrjqV4\/s320\/ordination+myozen\")
<\/a>Let me respectfully remind you,
life and death are of supreme importance.
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.
Each of us should strive to awaken\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n
Awaken\u2026<\/p>\n
Take heed.<\/p>\n
Do not squander your life.
<\/p>\n
This morning is a mad dash of personal and professional obligations (and in my life these things are deeply entwined), but early in the afternoon all will shift.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll pick up two new friends (one a bit older on the friendship way, the other brand spanking new), drive up to Watertown to the Perkins School for the Blind<\/a>, pick up Jan, and the four of us will make our way to Friendly Crossways<\/a>, outside of Littleton, MA, which is the latest venue for our Boundless Way Zen<\/a> retreats\u2026<\/p>\n For various reasons, but all based in the necessities of being a band of Zen practitioners who live in the world, and our world is very much bound up within North American culture, we observe Rohatsu<\/a>, Bodhi day, the anniversary of the Buddha\u2019s enlightenment, over the second weekend in December.<\/p>\n While it would be nice to do this on the eighth, the traditional day, at least in our Western calendars, I rather like the fact of the adaptation our honoring this time in retreat to our contemporary North American culture. If Zen is to become native to the West it will be because of a serious commitment to the heart of the matter together with a willingness to adapt all the externals. (And, of course, discerning which is which\u2026)<\/p>\n I think our registration for this retreat is forty-seven. In fact the major reason for our wanderings has been relentless growth of our retreat numbers, fortunately for those in charge of logistics (thanks to many, but I find myself thinking of Sue, Arlene, Ken, Kate, Laura and particularly Jan) the growth has averaged a few more people each year over the last seven or so Boundless Way and its predecessor organizations have been putting on these retreats.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/33904114-3932094431150561264?l=monkeymindonline.blogspot.com\")
<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"