of USAWKF
To See the Clear Pond
Your words touch me very deeply.
I sense a great anxiety coexisting with your peacefulness. This is vexing
and disarming.
I wish you great deep breathing and slow relaxed meditation and calmness.
This calmness can only come from confidence. Though you speak eloquently
of your belief in the path you are now on, the anxiousness seems to thwart
your experience of joy.
In the Lotus Sutra and many of Nichiren's writings there are myriad examples
of the daily "proof" and guarantees of enlightenment in the
mere knowledge of the Sutras, let alone the daily and consistent practice.
With so much teaching and evidence, how could it be false? How could we
possibly fail to achieve our highest potential and purify our lives?
I am telling you, my brother, our joy is inevitable. Further, when in
those moments when your calmness lays you gently into the confidence of
knowing your connection to the eternal life force, you simply bathe comfortably
in the experience of ultimate joy as you experienced during the enshrinement.
Please know that this connection is never severed. It is a constant flow
through which your life drinks and finds strength and energy.
Our practice is to exchange our illusion of chasing after this connection,
and awaken to our immersion within it and from it.
This is all rhetoric of course, to help view differently or to change
our minds limitations. We already know all this. It is vital to calm one's
mental distractions. It is like rustling the surface of a clear pond.
Though the water is clear, we cannot see past the surface until we allow
the surface to calm itself into its natural state. Then it becomes so
easy to see to the ponds entirety that the surface itself disappears.
Thank you for your love and dedication. You have all my support.
Love and respect,
Reverend Sylvain Chamberland
Sifu, Nichiren Buddhist Monk
Threefold Lotus Kwoon
BACKGROUND
The Reverend's letter was in response to his closest disciple's letter
below.
----- Original Message -----
From: James Todaro
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 8:23 AM
Subject: Love and understanding
Sifu,
I wanted to thank you deeply for all the love and support you have shown
me. I feel like I am torn between worlds, and sometimes it is very difficult
for me to make the kinds of decisions that I wish to make and to have
the kinds of interactions I would like to have with society. I suppose
though this is just part of the price that I have to pay for having had
a blasé attitude for so long. There is a disconnect, a misunderstood-edness,
with those around me that makes me feel very sad sometimes. I do understand
that I control my own happiness, and that my perspective is just that,
and has no real bearing on reality, whatever that may be. I understand
that the world must exist in this capacity, and that is the beauty of
its uniqueness, that is a result of the convergence of an infinite number
of points of view, and that in order to be successful and effective participant
in society, I must make my point of view tangible, enticing, and approachable,
rather than withdrawing and introverting. The reason that I have often
felt like seclusion would be the most beneficial environment is because
I have yet to become holistic and still have many vulnerable aspects of
my being that I would like to defend before exposing myself to the rigors
of emotions that can blind and overwhelm individuals. It comforting to
know and feel the love that you exude. In as much as I can fathom, our
perspectives may be identifiably unique, but our relationships with each
other can foster a deeper understanding of life and being itself, a balance,
a yin and a yang, that make discovery possible and open the doors for
new emotions and profound revelations on a logarithmic scale. These revelations
can often be breathtaking and overwhelming, but with the enormous net
of love, faith, and understanding I feel like I have the strength to explore
and grow and evolve. It is the phantom palace that you have granted me,
a goal and a vision, that I have never had before, that really has given
me the drive and motivation and purpose that makes all the hard work seem
worthwhile. Ever since the high I felt during the enshrining ceremony
I have been unable to match the intensity or focus that I was able to
garner. I long to visit the shrine and pay homage and be with you and
Renee, and to pray and meditate, but the karmic energy you send me is
enough to keep me going to get the things done I need to get done. Thank
you for the phantom palace you have envisioned in my mind and my spirit.
Just keep on doing what you are doing Sifu, I feel strongly that we are
moving in the right direction, and soon that will become very evident.
I am becoming very strong and flexible; I am making my body a suitable
vessel to carry your teachings. I only hope that by the grace of God our
chemistry will converge and produce a tonic of the most tantalizing sorts.
Be well and strong, the storm is coming...
Peace, love and everlasting happiness...
James
