I was walking towards the front door of the bank to make a deposit and I looked up in the the wide canopy of the ancient monkeypod tree. That great living expanse always reminds to return to being present, to remembering the oneness of all things. It inspired a new photo haiku and a short essay. Blessings for a wondrous new year!

Dear Friend,
Other than that I am doing well. Minus a torn ligament in my lower abdomen from overly strenuous tree pruning. That still hurts. Cleaning shrines and statues every Saturday. Studying Dharma texts every week. That important core of my life is growing deeper and deeper and bringing me a sense of presence and gratitude. And growing compassion for all beings. Though I still tense up a little when “problem patrons” walk in to the library. But I am working on catching that negative reaction early and remembering compassion, equality, equanimity, and clarity. We are the great ocean of oneness, dharmakaya. I feel that strongly enough and frequently enough now that I realize that if this the reality of the world, then I should act like it. That ultimately requires nothing less than being compassion and responsive wisdom incarnate. That is our nature. It is something we can all actualize. Just have to keep clearing off the dirty windshield of ordinary mind till we see clearly enough to fully open our hearts and keep them open.