Its hard to believe that, as-of today, Ive been a monk for 5 years. A good chunk of that time, I very honestly and sincerely didnt think Id be able to last anywhere near this long. While my life looks nothing like what you would ever want or expect for a monk, (I now work a traditional job at full-time-plus, Ive never even lived in a monastery, let alone received the requisite 5 years of initial education at one that is proscribed), my hopes still run high that one of these years or decades, either Ill be able to go East, or a few people will put their spiritual growth at the center of their life in this way and we will be able to establish monasticism and therefore fortify the Buddhist path of wisdom, compassion, and loving-kindness here in the West. I was trying to get a sense of perspective around it recently, and realized that my entire high school experience was a mere 3yrs, 9 mos. Similarly, for some reason, any arbitrary 5 year span from my childhood (1979-1984, for instance) seem like a huge swath of time, whereas the last 5 years seem to have come and gone in a fleeting instant. Then again, its just as likely a function of getting older. In any case, I want to thank, from the bottom of my toes, the numberless people who have been so very kindly, and generously supportive over the last 5 years, particularly while I was in retreat. Every single dollar, good wish, and supportive conversation helped me get through what seemed insurmountable. Im proof that it takes a village, and I love and appreciate you, yes you who is reading this post right now, more than I could ever express.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 13:13:40 +0000
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