Table of Contents
 
Proud Member
of USAWKF
  1. Volume One
  2. Volume Two
  3. Volume Three
  4. What is God
  5. On Conflict
  6. To See the Clear Pond
  7. On Family Issues
  8. Birth and Death
  9. The Supremacy of the Lotus Sutra
  10. The Ultimate Philosophy
  11. On Flourishing
  12. Happiness
  13. Love & Respect
  14. Parental Guidance
  15. Circumstances in this Life
  16. Why Daimoku

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

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