| Forest Sangha Newsletter | January 2001 |
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The Monastery
Once I knew, nothing in life could save me & the monastery will wake you up in the cold mornings it will kick you & drive you with more efficiency than any alarm-clock, it will bore you with its routine then seek forgiveness with a bowlful of food & the monastery will always be showing you that you are nothing & restore a sense of wonder at the falling of a leaf, the monastery will turn you into a giggling child & a crying child & a wise old man whose mission is telling the world that it has to let go & the monastery will dredge up all the horrible secrets from the corners of the mind of a long-dead boy screaming the truth of misery to the birds & trees & the monastery will show you acceptance in a good friend, the poetry of restraint & the patience of sitting with restlessness & you will hate it & hate it because your love is stronger & the monastery will get into your blood more exciting & depressing than alcohol & you know the monastery will forget you if you leave & remember you with gratitude when you return & the monastery will give you the open silence you will be unable to receive they say until years later they say the monastery will give you the strongest of feelings & you will want to run away & curl up & die & be born again like the greenness of a beech & the monastery will make you want to dance & sing & regret those times when you could & didn't & the monastery will protect you like an island & you will want to swim & like a kind parent the monastery will remain where it is.  |
