Dear Zen Friend

1).   September mini sesshin:    09/08,  09/09,,  09/10. 

       October mini sesshin:   10/06,  10/07,  10/08.  

2).   This summer was hot and humid with many rainy days. Rainy season continued to the end of August. When it rained, it poured often times. Many branches and leaves fell with rain. Trucks for maintaining roads were seen almost all days throughout the summer. Making firewood starts in September this year. 

This summer reminds me of the year of 2010. Rainy season continued to the end of August then. I became nervous if firewood would have been obtained for winter.. The weather pattern seems to repeat. It is clear that we have lived in the cycle of four seasons every year. The same cycle will occur next year, too.  Flowers in spring, hot in summer, foliage in autumn, and snow in winter. We live in the cycle of nature. 

3)   This year a family of deer danced in our back yard from time to time. They did not go away while we were watching. The family looks to be mother, daughter, and fawn. 

A few years ago a fawn was lying  beside a path in the back yard. It did not move at all. When I petted, body was warm, It stayed there for about  24 hours,  then disappeared. The deer mother in front of my eyes is possible to be that fawn. She represents the  cycle of life and death. 

A thousand years later, deer and bears would play around here having survived both easy times and hard times. Both young maples and old birches would stand under rains and snows. Summer would be hot and winter would be cold. 

Not many things are more beautiful than natural beauty. Not many living beings are more sensitive and graceful than wild animals and flowers. We do not have plenty of  time to enjoy all the gifts of nature.    

4)   A few weeks ago, I was found by a person, who sent me email in which he said that he belonged to the same class in the college. We studied under the same teachers. Because of student violences at that time, we shared little time in school. He stayed in the college, I escaped to Kyoto Antaiji. We discussed what happened from each view about turbulent school environments half a century ago.  A bitter, sweet emotion followed. 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo