A Day in the Life of a Mountain Priest
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
Hello All,
Early this morning I woke to cold air and a warm tongue licking my hand. I opened my eyes to see one of my dog's large furry head and yellow eyes. He wanted to go out. So, I climbed down the loft stairs, crossed the wooden floor and opened the door. The cold morning air cuirled around my waist and I quickly, but mindfully, closed the door. It wasn't yet dawn.
I went to the wood cookstove, tore off a portion of a hand made egg case fire starter and opened the firebox door. In a few minutes a fire was started, but I was already getting water to boil on our little propane stove. Tea was a first thing to do in the morning, just after letting the dogs out and making a fire.
I lit the candle in our alter, lit a stick of incense, and did three bows to the small Buddha in the alter.
Tea ready, I sipped some as I waited for the dogs to return. We live off the grid. We use oil lamps, a propane refrigerator, and wood cookstove. We are 13 miles off the little two lane highway that comes out of a small mountain town. We care for four alpacas, two elderly horses, three dogs, one goat, one cat, and one bird...a morning dove. Our home is both a residence and a Zen Buddhist retreat center. We are a refuge, of sorts, and enjoy a rather simple life of chopping wood, collecting water and making things out of alpaca fleece, cloth, and whatever else we can find. (A recent concession to the modern world is the addition of solar power. We are pleased to have this ability to flick a switch. I notice that we still prefer the use of oil lamps in the evening, though.)
Today is our Temple's Zen Center's "First Sunday" and people are coming from a few surrounding towns for services which consist of zazen, kinhin, and a tea service with a dharma talk by my Teacher. He retired a few years ago and appointed me abbot of the temple. I have since also retired and passed the leadership role to my disciple. It is she who is coming from town to my Teacher's zendo for services, along with a few other students of mine.
I put out noodles and soybeans to take for lunch. I put out my robes and a few papers to bring. On my wrist I wrap a set of 108 white skull beads. A beautiful mala for a beautiful occasion.
It is time, now, to sit zazen. I do this twice daily. Sitting down on the cushion at my alter, I gather my mind, bring my breath into alignment and just sit there silently being me. Zazen is the practice of being. Just being, not becoming. To become is to not be, it is to project being. So we just sit in the present and be whatever is there at the moment. That is all.
Soon the time is up and I rise from the cushion., a bow to the Buddha and I am ready to leave for my Teacher's zendo, after i feed the large animals.
The drive takes about forty five minutes. The road is a one lane dirt road with lots of rocks. I am careful as I drive. Still, the trees are beautiful, the deer and turkeys are there as if to see me off. It is a pleasent drive off the mountain, through the canyon and up the next mountain to my Teacher's zendo.
We sit in deep silence. Each buddha facing a wall, erect in a dignified posture . The incense rises from the alter and we are very much present.
When the bells rings, we rise, bow, and walk kinhin around the zendo. We then sit again: another period of the Buddha's Way.
After this, we are served tea by two of my students. My Teacher offers a teaching on Zen. We promptly forget it.
It is our own path we seek, not the path of others. Buddha is a model, that is all, we are invited to be a light to ourselves.
We go upstairs for a nice meal of noodles, salad, cake and hummas. We talk some, then depart. I bow to my Teacher and thank him for this day.
At home, I take care of the animals, make dinner, and rest. Soon it is time to sit zazen. Once again I light a stick of incense and sit on the great cushion.
After zazen, I make a fire in the cookstove, make tea, and sip it slowly. The air is getting cold. It is time to rest, but first this message to you.
May you each create peace in your lives. It is very easy, you know. All you must do is let go of those pesky expectations you hold about the way the world should work and accept the way it does. As you do this, the world and you are no longer adversaries. There is just you and the world and the two of you are one.
A deep bow to each of you,
Sodaiho
Early this morning I woke to cold air and a warm tongue licking my hand. I opened my eyes to see one of my dog's large furry head and yellow eyes. He wanted to go out. So, I climbed down the loft stairs, crossed the wooden floor and opened the door. The cold morning air cuirled around my waist and I quickly, but mindfully, closed the door. It wasn't yet dawn.
I went to the wood cookstove, tore off a portion of a hand made egg case fire starter and opened the firebox door. In a few minutes a fire was started, but I was already getting water to boil on our little propane stove. Tea was a first thing to do in the morning, just after letting the dogs out and making a fire.
I lit the candle in our alter, lit a stick of incense, and did three bows to the small Buddha in the alter.
Tea ready, I sipped some as I waited for the dogs to return. We live off the grid. We use oil lamps, a propane refrigerator, and wood cookstove. We are 13 miles off the little two lane highway that comes out of a small mountain town. We care for four alpacas, two elderly horses, three dogs, one goat, one cat, and one bird...a morning dove. Our home is both a residence and a Zen Buddhist retreat center. We are a refuge, of sorts, and enjoy a rather simple life of chopping wood, collecting water and making things out of alpaca fleece, cloth, and whatever else we can find. (A recent concession to the modern world is the addition of solar power. We are pleased to have this ability to flick a switch. I notice that we still prefer the use of oil lamps in the evening, though.)
Today is our Temple's Zen Center's "First Sunday" and people are coming from a few surrounding towns for services which consist of zazen, kinhin, and a tea service with a dharma talk by my Teacher. He retired a few years ago and appointed me abbot of the temple. I have since also retired and passed the leadership role to my disciple. It is she who is coming from town to my Teacher's zendo for services, along with a few other students of mine.
I put out noodles and soybeans to take for lunch. I put out my robes and a few papers to bring. On my wrist I wrap a set of 108 white skull beads. A beautiful mala for a beautiful occasion.
It is time, now, to sit zazen. I do this twice daily. Sitting down on the cushion at my alter, I gather my mind, bring my breath into alignment and just sit there silently being me. Zazen is the practice of being. Just being, not becoming. To become is to not be, it is to project being. So we just sit in the present and be whatever is there at the moment. That is all.
Soon the time is up and I rise from the cushion., a bow to the Buddha and I am ready to leave for my Teacher's zendo, after i feed the large animals.
The drive takes about forty five minutes. The road is a one lane dirt road with lots of rocks. I am careful as I drive. Still, the trees are beautiful, the deer and turkeys are there as if to see me off. It is a pleasent drive off the mountain, through the canyon and up the next mountain to my Teacher's zendo.
We sit in deep silence. Each buddha facing a wall, erect in a dignified posture . The incense rises from the alter and we are very much present.
When the bells rings, we rise, bow, and walk kinhin around the zendo. We then sit again: another period of the Buddha's Way.
After this, we are served tea by two of my students. My Teacher offers a teaching on Zen. We promptly forget it.
It is our own path we seek, not the path of others. Buddha is a model, that is all, we are invited to be a light to ourselves.
We go upstairs for a nice meal of noodles, salad, cake and hummas. We talk some, then depart. I bow to my Teacher and thank him for this day.
At home, I take care of the animals, make dinner, and rest. Soon it is time to sit zazen. Once again I light a stick of incense and sit on the great cushion.
After zazen, I make a fire in the cookstove, make tea, and sip it slowly. The air is getting cold. It is time to rest, but first this message to you.
May you each create peace in your lives. It is very easy, you know. All you must do is let go of those pesky expectations you hold about the way the world should work and accept the way it does. As you do this, the world and you are no longer adversaries. There is just you and the world and the two of you are one.
A deep bow to each of you,
Sodaiho
