Good morning!
When we came out of our houses, we could smell spring in the moistened air. When we sit together, we can enjoy birds’ singing. But, in our ordinary world, we have many problems. The world is on fire; our eyes, ears, noses, tongues, bodies, minds are on fire. We have global warming, mass extinction, bloodshed, and oceans of tears.
When we sit together, we find a calm, clear world. The Buddha said, “Friends make our whole life.” We have good friends (kalyâna mitra) and support each other, making the sangha, the good community. And we can see and enjoy Dharma, truth.
For 25 centuries, we’ve been continuing this practice because of the Buddha, the Awakened One. Dogen made this poem:
Colors of peaks and
Sounds of valleys are
Altogether voices and
Forms of our Shakyamuni.