Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Golden Highways Revisited: 1998The hours flow by: Chrissy and Pat appear and so do Owen (his grandson)and the monks from Stockton. There is a lot of deliberation and some serious collisions,several disappearances to huddle and confer, finally the decision is arrived atto keep Bhante at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and await the results of skintests – so there is a stay, at least until Wednesday.All the while, during these intense exchanges, Bhante just lay there and,mostly with his facial expression alone, but occasionally resorting to a word ortwo, managed to steer the emotional climate of the room towards respect, calm andwisdom. Like a great conductor, though he plays no instrument, he integrates thesmooth functioning of the whole.We leave Chris Bradley behind again, to help take care, and return north, stillblanketed by dripping grey skies. Another substantial gathering for tea – Peter laRivière and Mary Curran, Steve Keyes from Willits but who is now staying here,Tan Kataññuto’s old friend Molly McGuire, plus the home team. Another late nighton the machine and the first draft of the ordination article is done.Mottled charcoal branch shadows move and sway over the lattice works ofunderbrush – matrix moving across matrix – swimming before the eyes. Lightand shade, sky and earth and the living tendrils that form the interface betweenthe two, meet the branching arms of dendrites, the medium between the eye andthe light of consciousness – matrix moving across matrix –worlds within worldswithin worlds.Days begin to kaleidoscope, telescope together.May 25 th – May 31 stPracticing Pātimokkha a.m., recitation p.m. such a delight to haveTan Karunadhammo there. Chatting with Ñānamuni – great energy for the allnightsitting.Writing notes all morning and afternoon for The Pilgrim Kāmanīta – an oldBuddhist novel I am re-editing – finishing off correspondence. Call off the eveningsitting and chat with Steve Keyes.Chat with Anita and go to pay parting respects to Bhante – Peter La Rivièreand Chris Morray-Jones seem an apocalyptic Tweedledum and Tweedledee –Ven. Sarin very unhappy… (more of this later).Hit the road in heavy rain, David de Young driving. Couple of hours withNorman Fischer at Green Gulch, just to chat and catch up. All is well – he plans tocome for the Ten Precept ordination of Michael Dietzel. Much conversation on theBuddhism in America conference in San Diego – a bit of a wet squib.Drive over to Yvonne Rand’s home Goat-in-the-Road near Muir Beach for theevening – Ken McLeod is there already – the three of us are meeting regularly nowto conjure up a Buddhist teacher training workshop, tentatively entitled Passing onthe Dharma, to be held at Mount Baldy Zen Center, outside of Los Angeles.The hope has been to provide the occasion, for those interested in, or who arealready involved in teaching Buddhism to have some hands-on guidance with afew people experienced in the various main schools of Buddha-Dharma: Yvonne79