One night before meditation, I came into the Zendo to find that one of the sangha members had done a beautiful drawing in the incense bowl. It reminded me that hearts abound! Each of us contributes to the essence of love by giving and receiving love.
At our humble Hanamatsuri celebration last week, the flower offerings included everything from tulips to dandelions. In the Buddha's eyes, all flowers are a blessing, even the humble violet with leaves of grass trailing, pulled from the yard outside the Zendo.
Happy Birthday Buddha! And the baby Buddha there in front of the cake? He ended up in the incense bowl/ sandbox. The reason was simple: what child doesn't love to play in the sand?
This was the first time we celebrated our own Hanamatsuri as a sangha--because we are often a small group this time of year, we usually join Hanamatsuri at the House of Meditation in Harrisburg. But I wanted to begin the tradition here in Carlisle.
Our usual Dickinson students were all taking exams and finishing up final papers, so our group consisted of community members this time. We sent our students blessings and good luck, then ate the whole cake!
As we sat around enjoying sweet tea and treats this lovely spring evening, no one was in any hurry to rush off. It was the perfect time to consider the birth of the Buddha and the wonderful teaching around his first words:
"This is the last birth. There is now no more coming to be."
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