Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Gifts

There has been a bit of a profusion of gifts coming in my direction recently. Since I want to adhere to realising "the emptiness of the three wheels, giver, receiver and gift", as we say before we open our oryoki bowls, I am not going to start coming over all Sally Fields; nevertheless, it feels comforting to have the sense that people feel helped by what I do.
I have been given four books by four different people, two of whom were the authors, Dennis and Camille; two kinds of marmalade; a statue, from two Dutch guys who showed up a little bit out of the blue for the recent sesshin, and whose efforts I really appreciated; a friendship bracelet; a gift voucher which is intended to be spent on bicycle-related stuff; and this beautiful package of coffee, which I am almost reluctant to unwrap...

3 comments:

Sandy's witterings said...

What a delightful piece of cloth - if it contained half a house brick it would be a fine gift for the wrapping.

I've recently been the recipient of quite a few gifts from several people completely out of the blue - it's not so much the getting of something but the nice warm feeling that somebody is thinking enough of you so send something.

Shundo said...

Thanks Sandy, nicely put indeed.

Shundo said...

As a follow-up, this afternoon I came to the zendo and found a little stuffed rabbit on my zafu, holding a piece of chocolate and a note from the Easter bunny. When Jana came in as doshi, she was carrying Maya's bunny tucked into her koromo, so I followed suit for service. (Maya is nine and is the jiko on Wednesday afternoons, with some help from her mother...)