Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Golden Highways Revisited: 1998Despite the somewhat scrambled chanting and the general unpreparednessof some of the retreatants for the new environment – it’s not your average retreatscene, with church pews along with Pāli chanting and Asian elements abounding –still, all is indeed well and there seemed to be a glow of glad arrival in the air, onlyone or two truly shell-shocked countenances visible.June 9th – 12thThe days flow by so fast – already it is Friday and the retreatants (a few more havecome, a few have left) are looking well. On the first morning the level of collapseand droop was stupendous; now, after four days there is a sparkle in the air and abright responsiveness to the talks.Grey skies and dense rain – now cold, now warm – have alternated with daysof brilliant beauty. The bold red sun rising over the roar of the highway fills themorning mist with golden-pink light. The last two nights have been prefaced bysultry evenings – fireflies bursting into view and fading gently as they drift in thedarkening air. Steamy, tropical skies as the last light fades – warm wind and lowcotton balls of cloud – are framed and colored by the peachy glow of the west. Thetrees stir in the thrill of the caress – the arriving prince of night, draped in his steelblue cape, rolls across the landscape of lawns and suburban houses, water towersand lush patches of woodland.In these suburbs of Chicago we wander through the labyrinths of the Dhamma– all the familiar themes: kindness, reflective thought, the hindrances and pureawareness, dependent origination and a hundred stories to color it all. The transformation– from confused and weary urbanites to gleaming yogis, blazing whitein their clothes of devotion – is the most precious thing on earth. Even here, in themost mundane, materialistic of locations, the alchemy of the Dhamma does itswonders.Thunder and lightning, warm rain and sun, come together like the atmosphereof the primal soup – to flash and bring the prokaryotes of true life into being –wonder wonder wonder. And how sweet, to have the length of retreat to go intosubtleties of: the world in the mind, “What am I?” and personal and impersonallove – all this along with numerous tales of doughnuts and berry pie, Tahiti andKapilavastu, King Pasenadi and Abhayagiri.Yesterday Luang Por Paññānanda arrived and we spent an hour or twotogether. How sweet and inspiring a man he is – 88 and still cheerfully travelingthe world to teach, all his faculties well in order, although he apologized for notbeing able to sit so long on the floor any more.What beauty there is in a life well lived, old monk.He has a few projects on the go but nothing left to prove. He is glad to see usbut not needing anyone either. I wonder if this is admiration or Dharmic envy?“Oh that I could be, one day, such an easy, ancient being – all passions and performanceslaid aside!” Regardless of motivation, however, it is definitely sweet totaste the company of the wise – let us enjoy it and get to the anatomy of the subjectlater.90