Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Golden Highways Revisited: 1998March 31 stAugust weather: after breakfast Georgette takes me round the garden and for avisit to the zendo. The outside bell is the (deliberately) fractured wheel of a railroadcar – it rings like an ancient gong. Inside the small shelter are other calligraphiesof Miura Roshi and Niwa Roshi (his Dharma-heir) plus agèd bowl-bells and themost solidly grounded Buddha image I have ever seen; red wood and Kamakurastyle but low to the ground and broad-kneed, it holds the space with ease and apresence of power. She was one of the very few students that Miura Roshi acceptedduring the years that he taught in New York City, at the First Zen Institute. He hadbeen abbot of Go-onji Temple in Kyoto, one of the pioneers of Buddhism in the US– editor of the journal Cat’s Yawn and author, together with Ruth Fuller Sasaki, ofthe acclaimed Zen Dust – and had passed away quite some years before. She invitesme to sit in the Roshi’s seat – more than one bird sings.Round the pond with Maxwell (met the golf-mad neighbor) and got hissedaway from the Canada goose’s nest. Clear water, glad fish, grass like a countryclub lawn. After the meal we head off for some of the sights of Sussex – the town,the highest point of New Jersey and the Hawk’s Nest above the Delaware. Fromthe summit soft blue hills, tree-clad and farm-speckled, flow off into the distance.They range into New York to the east and north, Pennsylvania to the west; the threestates meet at Port Jervis, a bend in the great river.Earlier in the afternoon we had climbed to Indian Rock above their house,along the savage cut of a new road to the site of a neighbor’s hopes for a dreamhome – gazing out over the broad valley like an agèd brave or warrior chief surveyingthe breadth of his domain. Now smashed stone and splintered trees markthe way to the spot.Local features are pointed out – taking in the character of the land – ol’ timerural, East Coast USA for sure – even had a “field of dreams” baseball diamondat Ideal Farms. Water everywhere; small towns; traffic headed for the mountainsbehind us in Pennsylvania. The rock faces at Hawk’s Nest were inscribed with theJohn Hancocks of the Pepperwood Trolls, sparrow, Joby and Doby and a multitudeof other loves and unreadables. Piles of junk had been dumped over the edge,down on the banks of the Delaware.We spent the evening watching the Ajahn Chah videos: The Buddha Comes toSussex, (yet again) The Mindful Way and Alms bowls to Newcastle – we were so young– 20 years shows its face undeniably. All but Ven. Asabho [later Akiñcano] in thelatter film have disrobed now: Ajahn Pabhākaro, Ñānaviro, Thānasīlo, Sobhanoand Brian – 20% survival, par for the course. It’s a shock suddenly to see old friendsthat have since moved on, back in their monastic apparel again.It’s by no means uncommon, and certainly no disgrace, to have lived as amonastic for a while and then to have decided to return to lay life. In Thailand,particularly for men, it is considered a necessary part of growing up and developingmaturity to takes robes for a while, even if only for a few weeks. In the West afar greater proportion stay on for longer in the monastic form, the motivation tohave been ordained in the first place being much more personal than that of social29