Unexpected Freedom

Profoundly SimpleThose who build canals channel the flow of water.Arrowsmiths make arrows.Woodworkers craft wood.The wise tame themselves.Dhammapada verse 80The abbot of ‘The International Forest Monastery of BungWai’ had expressed an interest in visiting our monasteries inEurope and spending some time here on retreat. Everythingwas in place for this to happen except there being someoneto take over his duties during his absence. After living inBritain for twelve years, I was interested to return to Asia, soit was a joy when, in 1993, I found myself heading forThailand for an extended stay in the place where I had donemost of my initial training as a young monk.Twilight was falling by the time I once again entered themonastery gates. Being greeted by old friends and newstirred feelings of nervousness, gratitude and wonder. Somuch had happened both inwardly and outwardly since Ihad lived there. The place was familiar and yet at the sametime different. The dark all-encompassing silence of theforest, the fragrance of wild blossoms mingling with thescent of burning incense, took me back to being twenty-fouryears old again, full of hope for mystical experience and yetwonderfully empty of expectations. But now electrical1